Crumbs

A reflection on happiness

I admit, at the moment I am not being a good student. Instead of devoting my attention to my Translation class, where I am currently sitting, I am writing this blog post. In fact, I can’t exactly say I was a good student before I started writing this either, since I missed the first half of class to get a spur-of-the-moment tattoo. Don’t worry Mom and Papi, it’s small!

Instead, it was this tattoo and a phone call with my sister that inspired me to put some thoughts to my keyboard. These, and our latest topic in my French class, le bonheur.

We started our class last week with a collection of quotes. What exactly is le bonheur, or happiness? It is a grand question, but one of my favorite answers was the following:

<<Le bonheur est un festin des miettes>>

Jacques Faizant

Translation: Happiness is a feast of crumbs. I’ll let you interpret this as you will. The meaning of happiness is different for everyone, and whether or not this definition resonates with you is entirely up to you. Either way, I love to hear any new philosophies on well-being and happiness, feel free to leave comments!

Personally, this quote encourages me to be perceptive. Notice the little things and let them add up to a feast. Since I read it, I’ve been reminded to start appreciating the crumbs in my life. 

The appetizer last night was the conversation I had with my host sister about her future travels to the US. Her optimism and eager spirit were contagious.

To drink, the moonlight glowing through the roof of the dining room as I finished a paper late at night while the cat purred on the chair nearby.

Today, a main course. The steady poking of a needle on my skin while the sun illuminated the milky walls. A side of melody as my favorite song came on the radio while my head rested in my arms.

For dessert, a walk across the university campus, the balmy scent of sun and breeze walking with me. 

When compiled, these crumbs truly make a feast, yet realistically they are often hard to notice. Before talking with my sister, I felt guilty about sleeping in as late as I did. This morning, I felt stressed running late to class. I became nervous heading to my tattoo appointment, not knowing if my French could get me through this new situation. Sitting here, I worry about wasting daylight while sitting inside, and the four page paper due Wednesday that I may or may not have started yet…

Still, the crumbs are there, and the best thing about them is that they are messy. Crumbs show up where we don’t expect them or want them. There are even times when you have to make crumbs yourself. Miss part of class to get a spontaneous tattoo. Let life get a little messy. Then, in that mess, find le bonheur.