*disclaimer: there are a few audio glitches towards the middle.
Images from Pexel and IPhone XR
Music from BenSound
Bonjour (Salut). Enchante. Comment allez-vous? Je vais très bien. (Pause) Don’t worry, I’m not narrating this whole video in French. I am, however, going to talk about French. While reading David Gauntlett’s book, “Making is Connecting”, I was struck by a key phrase.
The phrase is “joie de vivre”, which directly translates to “the joy of living.” Joie de vivre can be defined as “a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of the spirit.” Exultation is synonymous with rejoicing. As I sat with this phrase, I realized that my source of joy comes from my day to day life. So, I wanted to show you guys a little bit about how I live my “joie de vivre.”
My number one source of joy has to be rooted in my faith, and the connections I’ve made because of it. So these guys right here, are the Navs, a Clemson non-denominational campus ministry. These people have helped me live in a way I never thought possible. Last Spring Break, a group of 13 of us decided to go on a camping trip out west for 10 days, ultimately reaching our destination in Denver, Colorado. Me, I had never even been camping before, nor did I really know half of these people. It was through witnessing the way these people lived their lives that week that aided me through the trial and error of trying something new, or maybe it was the 6 hour nap I took when I got back to Clemson.
Regardless, the way my friends stayed present in times of trouble (and trust me there were a lot) a lost phone on a canyon, two tornadoes, sleeping on a cattle ranch in Texas, and camping in 18 degree weather, just to name a few. taught me to keep my focus on the beautiful things we were experiencing in the present moment. That mindset alone has helped me in my faith and my joie de vivre. So much so that I wrote a script about our whole adventure.
Another way I live my “joie de vivre” is through the appreciation of the small details in life. I love the way a coffee shop smells when you first walk in, I find joy in listening to others talk about their passions. I long for the feeling of a film putting me on the edge of my seat. A wooden bat cracking against a baseball in the middle of June, or that tired sunkissed feeling after a fun day at the beach.
Through “joie de vivre”, we are able to make something new, connect with others, and ultimately discover what makes us happy. Joie de vivre is expressed through art, film, and other forms of creativity. Find your joie de vivre today.
