The Pleasure of Sunshine

The sky is blue. The air is crisp. The sun warms my soul.

Spring has arrived in Québec!

 

And the sun makes me smile. It calls me outside. And when I’m unable to answer the call, I linger by the windows gazing up at the sky, drinking in the day. I've always been like this.

It’s a simple thing. But I delight in the simple things in life: sunshine, snowflakes, the wind in my face, laughter, music, good food, and lively conversations with friends. And all of these things I've found here in Québec. 

Do they exist elsewhere?
Certainly.
But I'm noticing them here, now.

 I'm paying attention to all the good that surrounds me.   

The other day, I was feeling worn-down. I had a cold that just wouldn’t let go. My thoughts started to drift to my “poor me” place... it’s a well-traveled path, particularly when I’m sick. I could feel myself sinking into this feeling when I decided to change my outlook. 

I shifted my view to something for which I felt grateful... the Sunshine.

 
I breathed in gratitude and filled myself up with warm sunshine. Amazing! I felt better! I could change the way I felt through the simple act of being grateful for something as simple as sunshine.

And that's when I cried for the Pleasure of Sunshine.

 

    “Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, 

 invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.”
― Edgar Allan Poe

And the sunshine is plentiful here, even as the snow still rests in piles and patches on the ground. It’s early Springtime. And as the temperature climbs above freezing in the day, the sap begins to flow in the maple trees. This can only mean one thing:   

Sirop d’érable!  

Did you know that you can hear maple water? 

At the end of March, I had the sublime pleasure of standing with my family in the snowy woods while listening to l’eau d’érable drip into the tin buckets attached to every maple tree – drip, drop, drip, plop. A watery symphony... Magical! Meanwhile, Charlotte ran from tree to tree peeking into every bucket! Such joy! As I said, it’s the simple things.

I feel connected to this place. When we returned from visiting Ottawa for their Winter Festival in February, I remember feeling a sense of homecoming upon seeing the highway sign, “Bienvenue au Québec”. And it’s not just because it’s where I’m living. Quebec has crept into my heart, along with some of its ways...

 Doing things the "Quebecois way" 

Be generous with words of appreciation: Many things here are described as beautiful (beau/belle): un bel homme (man), un beau rêve (dream), une belle expérience, and even a bien belle pass (in hockey!) Neil & I have been called charmants and adorables. And when you say "merci", a common reply is "ça me fait plaisir" (it makes me happy!)

Let your children experience freedom: We allow Charlotte to play outside our house where we can’t see her. She plays with our neighbor of about the same age, building forts in hidden corners, climbing over fences and roaming to the end of the block. Today she asked to walk a few blocks away with her friend; she’s testing her boundaries and ours. It's too soon to agree to this. She’s only 7. And I’m still a parent with instincts belonging to the “big city”. But I'm learning to let her grow up peu à peu.
 

Relax, "c'est pas grave" (it's no big deal): My teacher says that I’m too much of a perfectionist. She wants me to think less before speaking, and not worry so much about finding the right word or verb tense. Just talk, make mistakes. C'est pas grave! Maybe not, but it's challenging for me. However she assures me that it’s the only way I can advance to the next level in french conversation. Just take a deep breath and jump, Donalyn...

Being sensitive ("sensible") is good: Sensitivity is valued here. You are unlikely to hear the expression that someone is "too sensitive". In Québec, the Arts are emphasized and artists are often sensitive. They need to be this way in order to create, and expressing one's passion is an integral part of artistic creation. I believe that I have the "esprit d'une artiste" -- and this makes me smile.

Let life flow: Perhaps this is not so much a quebecois philosophy as it is my “thème du moment” which was inspired by the flowing water in the maple trees.  It is to this idea that I return when I’m feeling stuck or overwhelmed. There's no need to struggle. Life is beautiful. Laisse-toi flotter sur le courant de la Vie!

Et moi, je suis reconnaissante d'être ici, à ce moment-même, à cet endroit-ci, chez moi: au Québec.