Arcadia Ireland

Something that helped me through almost three lockdowns in Ireland was finding ways to be grateful and be happy. For many months across the globe, we were faced with grim updates on the pandemic and restrictions on travel. In Ireland, we could barely leave our homes and it certainly wasn't possible to socialise so I had to reimagine what it meant to be happy. The things that usually made me happy had been taken away. In an attempt to rescue myself, each day I looked up good news online to find short stories, inspirational quotes or international celebrations to stay upbeat. Today as we embrace the warmer sunny days here, the mood is better and today we celebrate two things. Firstly ,world fudge day (Well I never!) and secondly, one of Ireland's best writers, James Joyce. Today is Bloomsday. 

Commemorating the life and legend of Irish writer James Joyce on Bloomsday, every June 16, we take a moment to honor and celebrate all we’ve gained from his works. The significance of June 16 is taken from his 1922 novel, “Ulysses,” which takes place on June 16, 1904, and follows a day in the life of the story’s protagonist (Leopold Bloom). It is also the day Joyce went on his first date with his then wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle. The story of Leopold Bloom is recognized as one of the most important works of modernist literature and has been largely considered a catalyst for the entire movement. Today, people in Ireland and Joyce fan’s around the world celebrate with festivals, readings, dramatizations, pub crawls, and more to honor a man who changed literature forever. This year, most of Ireland's events continue to be online. If you get an opportunity this evening, why not click on Bloomsday 2021: Everything you need to know (irishtimes.com) and check out some of the free events to join! 

Something else to put out there is that higher levels of gratitude = higher levels of happiness and increased feelings of well being. Anyone ready for some fudge?