Le Coeur Hardi

"The Hardy Heart" monthly blog - February 2017

This piece of writing kicks off a goal I have had in my head for a while: to release a monthly blog! I have always loved writing and am itching to get my "fingers back into the dirt" and continue my exploration of this beautiful art form.

The name I have chosen for this monthly blog is "The Hardy Heart;" a phrase that carries a lot of personal meaning and that I have come to identify so strongly with. "The Hardy Heart" comes from the French phrase "Le Coeur Hardi", which my father traced back as the origin of our family name. In 1066 William of Normandy (known to history as William the Conqueror) sailed to England from France with an army of his Norman vassals to assert his right to the English throne over the Saxon King Harold. He defeated Harold’s army at the battle of Hastings, establishing the House of Plantagenet as the Kings of England (think Richard Coeur de Lion – Richard the Lionheart). After his victory at Hastings, William addressed his Norman leaders, and to one who had particularly distinguished himself on the field of battle, he said: “Tu etais le coeur hardi, donc tu serait toujours Hardi!” (You were the valiant (hardy) heart, and thus you will always be Hardy!).

Last autumn I went and got my second tattoo from the incredible Salt Lake based artist Sarah de Azevedo. I asked for a dream catcher on my forearm with a white owl talon holding a turquoise shaped heart in the center of it. It serves as my daily reminder to live through the ups and downs of life with courage and to continually open my heart to life's lessons and choose love over fear: le coeur hardi.

Much love, -James Hardy