Today I’m going to circle back to our time away, but I am not going to be sharing a pictorial of everything we saw because there’s just way too many photos in my camera roll. I’m also not going to share about every single thing we experienced, as it would be a book.

Yet before I do so, just a heads up that a small crystal friends release has been updated for now here: Crystals & Crystal Skulls

I did mention many of the themes in my return blog, but today I feel called to focus on just one of them that is getting my attention to expound upon – the title of this post, “Joie de Vivre”.

The photos laced throughout (which there are enough of as it is lol) are of us experiencing this theme in the various places we immersed in.

So rather than see all the sights, you’ll feel them through our connection with them and each other.

I am also going to tie this into “relationship,” as this state of being connected (the definition of this) is so greatly linked into this theme.

Relationship isn’t just about being in a romantic partnership, nor is just about blood ties and family.

It includes all forms of bonds and relating with friends, business partners, daily encounters with others, soul family connections, and even the way we relate to ourselves.

Yet, it’s not isolated to human relations alone.

Relationship is also our synergy and interaction with our vocation, home, things we love, all species, our natural environment including plants and even rocks and minerals, the

elements, our Earth home at large, and even our connection with the cosmic landscape and any spiritual presence we hold dear to us.

By definition, “joie de vivre” is expressed in many ways including: exuberant enjoyment of life, appreciation of life, joy of living, zest for life, exultation of spirit, taking delight in being alive and simply living your life, finding and enjoying the simple pleasures of life in everyday moments – seeing life is good the way it is.

The quality of relationships we foster in terms of connection to, and partnership with, everything and everyone around us, definitely has an impact on the way we experience life and create a ritual of, and reverence for, mutual giving and receiving in the moment.

It’s easy to dwell in certain states of emotion because of what we perceive as a lack or what we perpetually see, hear, and experience indirectly or directly through media or heightened collective anxieties and tension.

Yet to only engage these states becomes debilitating AND strips us of our ability to feel anything else, allow ourselves to even ponder something more because of self-imposed guilt, or have energy, time, and inspiration to put into creating a way out.

Living in a state of “joie de vivre” may sound “Pollyanna,” yet I witnessed on our trip how this state of being in the moment and enjoying what IS here right now, creates a magnetic resonance and ripple-effect.

Nice, France was particularly reflective of this, as we found ourselves living in the bustle of every day city life on the French Riviera – something not part of our consistent lifestyle as mountain dwellers, and yet because of this “delight for life” energy, it felt sustainable.

We found there to be a culture of people coming together (both residents and tourists of every age, and from every walk of life, and even varied visible, physical challenges), and enjoying the sensuality of life to the fullest they could and immersing in the simple pleasures.

Daily life there includes strolls, biking, or jogging, on the Promenade des Anglais – one of the most famous seafront stretches in France – and meals or drinks out with others or even alone on cafe-lined streets.

I saw regulars visit their usual spots, both morning and evening, for a coffee or drink, conversation, and just taking the atmosphere in.

Soon we became the regulars doing similar things as the simple life pleasure seekers around us did.

With everything within walking distance, we’d pick up a just-baked baguette, freshly squeezed orange juice, perfectly ripe fruit, and enjoy our breakfast in our apartment above the lively cafes.

Hanging out to listen to live music while sipping a refreshment or savoring a coffee.

Taking in a beach volleyball match with team comradery to cheer on.

Curling up on the couch reading, sitting at the sundrenched kitchen table next to the fresh basil plant I clipped from to make meals while writing or working on something as cafe seats below were kept warmed from morning until midnight – and sometimes beyond.

Smelling the flowers as we stroll through the park.

Giggling at the children sitting on top of water fountains, splashing about, and dancing their best joyful moves.

Climbing a playground structure, flying in a swing, or just sitting on a bench and watching life all around us.

These were part of the daily pleasures.

Relaxing on the beach, sifting through unique stones to find colorful sea glass, floating on the Mediterranean, and swimming like a mermaid.

Slipping into an old church to peacefully sit and receive, or light a candle for our loved ones.

Soaking in transcendent art that whisper stories, marveling in awe of the beauty that transcends time, and walking in the footsteps of the masters.

Taking in sunrises and sunsets everyday on promenade walks to see what events were happening along the streets – traveling musicians, singers, and entertainers wanting to share their gifts with hopes of being discovered, beach goers, skateboarders, marathon runners, outdoor art exhibits, world conferences, and even the occasional modeling shoot.

These, and more, were also amongst the daily goings-on.

And there’s always a sense of wonder and exuberance with the simple things abound.

This is the lifestyle here, and if you immerse in it too, you naturally blend in with the upbeat vibes of people simply enjoying life.

People came after or before work to take it all in.

Kids enjoyed after-school immersions the old-fashioned way of playing outside without electronics.

Retirees came and sat for a while, whether on their own, with their animal or human companion, or the neighborhood friends they’ve had for a long time.

Shop and cafe owners stand around talking and helping each other out, and if you stay a while yourself, you become a regular they talk to, too.

Late afternoons into sunset hours groups would gather with blankets on the beach to take in the setting sun while enjoying the company and conversation.

Many couples, singles, and families would pick up pizzas and take their box down to the volleyball courts or chairs lining the promenade to enjoy a meal in the middle of city-meets-beach-lifestyle.

Our special treat, two or three times a week was going into Old Town and getting a yummy vegan gelato cone – single or double scoop depending on the day. We weren’t the only ones, as this is also part of the “enjoyment culture” here, while you share a smile and listen to the unspoken acknowledgment of a shared connection.

People take strolls through the parks or come and sit a while on benches, many know each other and hang for a while…and I saw tourists naturally gravitate to do the same, seeing how others were soaking in the art of being.

Couples get lost in the romance of nostalgic memory footprints still lingering in the air.

One particular, larger park has fountains that go off on a regular cycle and this is a huge draw for the children of the city to come and exuberantly play in.

Families and single parents make it an afternoon to evening outing and you can see how much pleasure even the parents have in watching their kids have tons of fun playing in the water.

One didn’t need to have others with them to enjoy themselves either.

I saw many single people thoroughly engaged with the simple joy of soaking all of it in around them and feeling a part of things even if not in a group or partnership.

The tangible vibrancy is intoxicating.

Smiles filled faces and the level of immersion and life engagement was something I don’t usually see or feel so abundantly.

People were wanting to feel fully alive and any little thing they could do to awaken that, these people were actively doing.

You can’t help but be drawn into the intoxication of life and deepen into everything a little bit more, as the appreciation vibes increase the vibrancy, smells, tastes, and sensations.

Your appreciation, while you feel and observe that energy, also increases. You can’t help but to feel uplifted to see the richness of such simple things bringing so much pleasure.

People are up early and out late. Whether working, playing, or simply being…life is colorful and potential always lingers in the air.

And even the animals – dogs of all sizes, but especially little ones – are part of the culture both in doing everything their human companions do outdoors, as well as joining for meals at cafes.

Things are inclusive and there’s a peaceful flow to it all even if city activity levels are high.

And by default, this sets you on a different course, if in fact you had a contrasting focus.

There’s an unspoken secret these people share, but it’s contagiously carried through the air everyone’s breathing in.

People were tapping into each other, all the beauty and human experiences around them, and enjoying the thread of connection with everything.

And while Dave and I have spent years focused on embracing life and cultivating greater connection, engaging intentional communication and presence, and creating and appreciating more joy in life, we found ourselves deepening and expanding in all of these ways.

This definitely got a boost from the energy that pervaded life around us, including time we spent with Dave’s family and several groups of friends that visited or we visited.

And it was carried throughout other cities we found ourselves drawn to as well – in both east and west Ireland, the French Riviera and Alps, Venice, and Paris.

It just seemed extra-enhanced in Nice, since we spent the most time there.

And it all amplified the way we soaked in everything else we saw and experienced.

All it takes is a willingness to understand the gifts that DO pervade life on Earth – even if that is simply the ability to feel.

As spirit, form is an altogether different experience than just the heightened potential of being in physical body.

True, we have been conditioned to value certain feelings as more ideal, but even just to be able to have an emotion is something we take for granted. Emotion is much more than an innate given. It’s a miracle and privilege that mirrors cosmic fluctuations in a way one can actually have an individual experience of.

A spiraling of ever-greater, creative potential.

To be able to spontaneously feel is a wonder.

Emotion allows us to be present with the moment and experience something touching us in some now way.

Feelings let you know you’re truly alive and is the soul’s way of expressing a song. An otherwise voiceless spirit becomes expressible through the vehicle of a body.

This vibrant embrace of “being alive energy” made us follow the moment’s inspiration when our joy felt lit up, rather than trying to target an idea of how to fill in the day.

Joy can be experienced in the simple pleasures, not just from the grandiose ideas.

I had so many moments of deep appreciation come over me as sweet tears that swelled in my eyes. The little things melted my heart – like our dear friends’ little two year old boy, we met for the first time in Venice, quietly coming up to me with wide-eyed innocence and taking my hand several times to play with him. Something his mom says he never does to anyone he meets, not even his sweet nanny who’s there weekly.

Everything is temporary so hold onto the moment of how the often overlooked moves you.

Remember the moments your spirit delighted in something and know that it’s more than okay to feel that way and allow your heart to grow, rather than contract.

Life is full of swings, but it does and can swing back again.

It only seems to stop because we block the cycle.

Remember, even a flower can find it’s way through cement.

Although we handled challenges that part of life that arose remotely along the course of our extended time away, we found the energy pervading our environment to anchor us deeper in this embrace of life’s gifts, allow us to be anchors for others we helped to do the same, and support the process of returning to harmony.

So, even if not our usual way – city life that is – we found it nurturing the art of being and “joie de vivre” in different ways than we would usually experience and receive from.

While so much activity of every kind went on around us, there was an intoxicating joy, peace, and simplicity of life emanating from it all. It made me ponder the effects that more of this could have if cultivated everywhere.

So, while we can choose to focus however we want, it’s beneficial to ask if how we’re focusing is aiding, distracting, and taking away from life, or if it’s boosting, engaging, and adding to life?

Is our state creating greater or lesser connection to all around us?

Is our focus fueling beneficial change or empowering the changes we don’t like?

Are we lifting each other up or adding to the weight that makes it difficult to take flight?

Is our level of connection and presence bringing more joy to our lives, or creating canyons of separation and disconnect?

Is our energy and time consumed with conflict, or does presence of deepening connection to life cultivate enthusiasm and creativity to build new pathways?

While we saw so much incredible art, architecture, ancient sites, music, culture, and culinary delights that filled our days, along with stunning and surreal naturescapes that echoed the resonance of the man-made beauty on this trip, it was the golden threads of connection we opened up to receiving from it all that enriched the journey, our relationship to each other, self, and inspirations, and to life on Earth.

It was a feast for the senses.

We embraced meaning, purpose, and enrichment from all of the incredible pieces and opportunities that life has to offer us in any given moment and we sent out collective intentions of peace and connection from all the sacred sites we visited, with hopes to spread love from heart to heart.

And we found ourselves blending into the rainbow tapestry of “joie de vivre” being woven around us.