welcome joie de vivre to my life

What town on the Jersey Shore has SIX beautiful black swans as residents? Yes, Asbury Park is home to these beauties. It is such a treat to see them floating around and just being regal. Grace, charm, and joie de vivre!

Spring is the best time for joie de vivre, isn’t it? I took my camera out for a walk yesterday with the intention of taking flower photos. Somehow my eyes were drawn primarily to the purple/pink color family. Well, I am an Aquarius and purple is OUR color! So, always remember to stop and smell the roses,,,or the daisies,,,

Now this little guy looks like he is having fun. For a squirrel, I guess that jumping around in a tree on a bright beautiful blue-sky day is close to squirrel heaven. I know that some people say that squirrels are just rats with fluffy tails but this one sure knows something about joie de vivre!! I’m very glad I saw him on my walk today.
I’ve noticed that all my entries for this goal have animals involved. I didn’t plan it that way consciously. It just seems that animals touch my soul in a very satisfying way.

How beautiful are these two? Black swans are not that common in the United States; you see more of them in England. These two live just a couple of blocks from my home. They have built a nest on a small island in Sunset Lake just in front of Asbury Park Convention Hall. They look quite royal gliding around so I call them Charles and Camilla,,,,:-). Looking at them makes me so aware of all the beauty of the world. I walk over to see them almost every day and bring them some bread. And many other people do also. They are really quite tame and one can only hope that spring will bring some little cygnets. Ah, joie de vivre,,,you gotta love it!!

So, what does it mean to “welcome joie de vivre to my life’?,,,Don’t. Have. A. Clue. The dictionary defines ‘joie de vivre’ as ‘a cheerful enjoyment of life’. OK, I’ll buy that. But is it something that one seeks out or does it just come along fortuitously? Don’t know that either. Is it what my cat Daisy is welcoming as she looks out the door,,,something that will bring her enjoyment,,,like a nice fat robin?,,,,;-)
I guess the only way I will find out is to keep my eyes and ears open and see what makes an appearance in my life. I’ll take some notes in the field and report back!