“Tous les jours” is a French expression. It means every day. Not sometimes. Not when it’s convenient. Not when someone approves. Every. Single. Day.
It is not a verb. It is not something you earn through performance. It is a way of being.
And don’t confuse it with “toujours” – one word – which means always. You belong always. All the time.
Somewhere between every day and always lives a truth we often forget: You matter.
Not occasionally. Not when you are loud enough. Not when you achieve enough. Not when you shrink yourself to make others comfortable.
You matter tous les jours.
For people like me – the ones who ask “why” – belonging has sometimes felt complicated. I was the child who raised her hand. The one who asked the question everyone else was thinking but did not dare to say out loud. Over time, I realized something: when I raise my hand, it is rarely just my question.
It belongs to the quiet ones.
The hesitant ones.
The ones afraid of making someone uncomfortable.
Yet when truth enters the room, it can unsettle people. A question can feel like disruption. Curiosity can feel like defiance. And sometimes the person who dares to ask becomes the uncomfortable reminder that silence was easier.
But discomfort does not mean wrongdoing.
It does not mean I should lower my hand.
It does not mean you should silence your voice.
Belonging is not a reward handed out by gatekeepers. It is not a seat someone generously slides toward you. It should be the default setting of every community – every day, always.
That is why the phrase tous les jours stayed with me.
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet the new Executive Director of Hamilton County Leadership Academy. We spoke about cohorts, about intention, about choosing people thoughtfully for the table. The selection process is not random. It is deliberate. It is careful.
When you are offered a seat, you are not simply filling space. You are stepping into opportunity carved out among many deserving voices. That seat becomes meaningful only when you bring your whole self to it.
Photo provided
Being part of HCLA was not an accident for me. It was a prayer answered. A desire carried quietly for years. When I saw my name listed in the 2020-2025 cohort, I did not feel lucky. I felt ready.
I have a story the world needs to hear.
I have a responsibility to make spaces more visible, more welcoming.
I have the fire to ignite conversations that matter.
And what I found inside HCLA was this: there was no room where I felt I did not belong.
Not once.
But belonging is not a switch you turn on and off for yourself alone. It is a responsibility you extend forward. If I feel seen, I must make space for the next person to feel seen. If I am heard, I must ensure another voice is not silenced.
Community should be the ultimate place where everyone thrives together – where questions are welcomed, not feared; where truth is spoken, not suppressed; where seats at the table are intentional and inclusive.
Please consider this column as an open invitation to apply for the next HCLA cohort.
Tous les jours – every day – you matter.
Toujours – always – you belong.
And when we build communities that reflect that truth, we do more than gather.
We thrive. Together.
Pooja Thakkar is working to build connections, and you can read her column each week in the pages of The Reporter.