I never thought I would be one to get a tattoo, but now that it’s been about a year since I got mine I couldn’t imagine my body without it. More than anything, the tattoo reminds me of everything that I most believe to be true. Inked into my hip bone reads; joie [Ironman M.Dot symbol] vivre. The Ironman symbol keeps me focused and strong, and reminds me that, with the right mindset, we are, as the Ironman credo proclaims, truly limitless. The other words, a variation on my favorite French phrase, joie de vivre, serve as a daily call to my own version of carpe diem.
Living: fun at the pool with friends should never get old.
The infinitive form of the word “live,” vivre is a command to do just that. Living is composed of so many elements, and I have found that the moments in which I am most filled with joie de vivre are the moments in which I balance all forms of vivre that I know to be important to making me, well, me. For me that means I work must hard and play hard. My soul needs travel and my mind needs challenge. My spirit needs friendship and laughter and my heart needs love, and my greatest joie comes from just being free enough to be myself.
Living: Food, friends and fun.
Celebrating the 4th of July with family and friends this week was a refreshing burst of living. It’s amazing what just a few hours of spending quality time with friends can do for your mind, spirit and body. If you are ever too busy to have the time to do nothing with those you love, then you are too busy to savor some of the best aspects that vivre has to offer. We should never be too busy to have fun; life is simply too short.
Living: Putting out an awesome spread of healthy food and snacks and not being too old to play with sparklers!
Get your vivre on today and take the time, even if just for a few hours, to let your agenda go and to just be.