Pamela Chan, Editorial/BCFamily.ca
bonhomie \bah-nuh-MEE\ noun
: good-natured easy friendliness
Looking at this CanSpell word of the day, my first thought was, “I don’t know this word”.
Hmnn. Good natured, easy friendliness. When the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games came to town, you can be certain that city and government officials hoped that Vancouverites would exhibit a lot of bonhomie. Over the years, citizens here have received mixed reviews regarding their degree of friendliness but we pulled it together for the Winter Olympics.
I believe in the power that comes
From a world brought together as one
I believe together we’ll fly
I believe in the power of you and I
Do you still believe?
During the most intense moments of the Covid pandemic, British Columbians were repeatedly told to be kind. Most were. Some were not. And some were down right nasty.
Bonhomie is a work in progress in British Columbia.
Children have lots of bonhomie to spare, but their adult contemporaries are not as well endowed in this regard. Our ability to show bonhomie to others is hit and miss.
Good-natured
Easy
Friendly
In these lean and mean economic times, while Covid is still burning a path through the world, we need lots of bonhomie to sweeten the deal. The children in our lives can show us how.
Here’s a video with tips from last year’s International Day of Friendship, for those of us who are still not traveling much or seeing friends as often as we’d like. I can’t say that I’ve ever celebrated the day but it’s as good a time as any to promote good natured friendliness.
International Day of Friendship falls on July 30th. How will you celebrate? You can comment about this posting on the BCFamily.ca Facebook page. Your contribution matters so don’t be shy!