Happy UN International Day of Happiness and Happy Spring!

The photo of me (on the left) and Miranda Brouwers that
appeared in the Dutch newspaper, The Carillon on
December 29, 2015.

We are standing in front of the landscapes

Miranda showed at the Florence Biennale in October, 2015.
Miranda and I also showed together in the 
Carrousel du Louvre in 2016,
and we have been friends, and 
passionately interested in 
happiness ever since we met.
At the Florence Biennale we 
started what we called The Happy
People Group. 

Today is the first day of spring, and also International Day of Happiness.
Everyone is talking about how the weight of the wars in the world, and
injustice and climate change gets in the way of happiness, but we need
to enjoy the happiness we have, when we have it, so that we can work
 together for change. And we definitely need to do that.  I'm showing you
some of the people from the Happy People Group at the Florence Biennale
in Italy, in 2015. There are so many more I would love to include. 

Steffie Wallace does beautiful, moody seascapes.

She put her hands in the air for her photo, as part
of the Happy People Group at the Florence Biennale
and picked up a prize in painting!  Yay Steffie.
We showed together again in Niagara Falls
at the Water for Life exhibition.
Steffie is wonderful and she flew
all the way from Australia to these shows.

Alvaro Gómez with Querencias (close up)

Mixed media on canvas
2015 
Alvaro has his hands in the air as part of
The Happy People Group

at the Florence Biennale in 2015

Artist Chu Okoli

with his hands in the air as 

part of the Happy People Group

at the Florence Biennale

And Chu won a prize in painting!

Now back to 2022. Yesterday some small occasions of happiness happened
that made us feel so wonderful. In the grocery store a woman was debating buying
laundry strips in a paper envelope with her husband.  They cost more than
the detergent in the big plastic bottle, but don't use plastic, and leave a very
 small environmental impact.  I had had that discussion with Steven, who is
careful with money. And then I came upon him talking about plastic
pollution with strangers.  I felt wonderful.  We all pointed to the shelves
filled with plastic, and said -- "It has to change.  It has to start somewhere."
By the way we were masked and social distanced having that conversation.

Then we drove by a park, and it was not a warm day, and saw boys surfing
on a puddle. I know I mentioned that yesterday.  It stuck with me.  Today a

woman at the lake watching her little girl play in the water wished us Happy

International Day of Happiness, and Happy Spring.  That made us very happy. 

Enjoy whatever joy you have.