Joie de Vivre

Day 96 (Written Saturday March 17) ~ If we had a motto around our house it would be the words above. Joie de vivre is a French expression that simply means, “The joy of living.” It is a state of mind that takes the time to soak up the simple joys of everyday living. It is, as we Americans say, taking time to smell the roses. It’s the little things that fill an average day, but make it an extraordinary day. Things like sunrise/set, a gentle breeze, kids laughing, a good nap, complete silence, watching, feeling and smelling a warm rain, the way a freshly cut lawn looks or the way clean laundry smells when its still warm. Most days aren’t filled with the over the top amazing things like vacations and such, those days are rare, but everyday is filled with little things that let us go to bed with a smile on our faces. Today was one of those days.
For many years now we have hosted a shrimp boil in the spring. It started with just a few friends who had listened to me talking about Louisiana food for far too long and wanted a taste of it themselves. We had a few over friends over, boiled it up and dumped it all on the table. It was an immediate smash hit and became an annual event, growing in number every year. This year was our biggest yet, with over 40 people hanging out by the creek eating the two 25 quart pots I had to boil. This in addition to crawfish corn bisque (thanks Courtney) and crawfish pie, plus dill chicken pasta for the non seafood lovers.
For me the day begins with what I believe truly is my favorite part, the preparation. I have a good three hour mix of Cajun/Zydeco/Louisiana music that entertains me and transports me mentally to New Orleans while I cut up, chop, slice and measure out all of the ingredients to be used. Few things are more soothing and relaxing to me. Once everything is ready, the cooking begins. As soon as I get the first whiff of all the spices I am officially in full on chill out mode. The rest of the time waiting for the guests to arrive is spent overlooking the creek and keeping an eye on the food as it boils in its stainless steel hot tub.
As night falls we sit around laughing, telling stories and enjoying a feast. It was another successful shrimp boil, another great night with friends and another reason to be thankful for the joy of living.