“Joie de Vivre: The Joy of Living — What Dogs Teach Us Every Single Day”

JOIE DE VIVRE — THE JOY OF LIVING (AS TAUGHT BY DOGS)

(A Srirangavn- WagSmile Insights)

There is a kind of joy humans have forgotten.

A joy that doesn’t wait for achievement, applause, money, success, or milestones.

A joy that exists simply because life exists.

Dogs and all animals know this joy.

Dogs live this joy.

The French call it "joie de vivre"— the joy of living.

Ofcourse, dogs don’t call it anything. They just live it.

One chilly morning at Ananda Neelam, Dr. Chari opened the door to let Sita and Mylo out for their walk.

Before he could even finish saying, “Come da…”

both of them burst out as if the world was throwing them a beautiful life party.

Sita ran in circles for no reason.

Mylo sniffed the air deeply, like the wind was telling him a secret.

April chased a butterfly with the seriousness of a scientist and the innocence of a child.

And Arjuna, the giant baby, rolled on the ground as though the grass was the softest bed ever made.

Their bodies moved with such unfiltered joy that Dr. Chari felt something shift inside him.

He stood still, watching them, his breath slowing…

and whispered to himself,

“This… this is how humans were meant to live.”

Humans wait for joy. They postpone life....waiting, searching for joy.

Dogs don’t.

Humans postpone joy.

Dogs don’t.

Humans calculate joy.

Dogs don’t.

Dogs don’t care if the morning is perfect, if the weather is bad, if the workload is heavy, if yesterday was painful, or tomorrow is uncertain.

Dogs greet each new moment with the same devotion:

fully, honestly, wholeheartedly, innocently.

That day, April came bounding up to Dr. Chari with a leaf in her mouth — a simple leaf — her eyes shining as if she had found treasure.

She dropped it at his feet, tail wagging proudly.

He laughed and said,

“A leaf is enough for you?”

April looked up as if answering,

“Appa… life is enough.”

Later that evening, Arjuna brought his favourite torn cloth — the same one he guards like a crown jewel — and placed it gently in Dr. Chari’s lap.

He didn’t want a treat.

He didn’t want attention.

He wanted to share his joy. His bounty...

Dogs don’t hoard joy.

They share it the moment they feel it.

And then there is Sita…

the quiet poet of the family.

Some days she sits in the golden light of sunset, eyes half-closed, breathing softly, as though she is meditating on the beauty of simply existing.

No expectations.

No ambitions.

Just gratitude that the day happened.

Humans chase happiness.

Dogs embody it.

A dog doesn’t need a festival to celebrate.

A dog doesn’t need a perfect life to be content.

A dog doesn’t need luxury to feel abundance.

For dogs, life itself is a festival — every sunrise, every breeze, every pat, every familiar voice.

And that is the lesson:

Joy is not an outcome.

Joy is a way of seeing life. A way of living...

If you sit with your dog for even 10 minutes and watch them closely, you will see:

They savour a moment.

They honour their senses.

They rest without guilt.

They play without fear.

They love without caution.

They trust without doubt.

They live without trying to impress anyone.

This is joie de vivre — the art of being alive.

Humans forget joy.

Dogs remind us.

Every single day.

Tonight, when your dog brings you a toy, or nudges your hand, or rolls on the floor, or simply gazes at you with those soft, shining eyes…

don’t brush it away as “cute behaviour.”

It is a message:

“Come back to life.

Come back to simplicity.

Come back to joy.”

Because in the end, dogs aren’t teaching us how to live longer.

They are teaching us how to live deeper, wiser, fully.

And sometimes, one wagging tail can bring you back to the life you were meant to live all along.