Why there should Never be Leftover Chocolate!

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Photo MinA Pexels

Photo: MinA via Pexels

I love chocolate.  Milk.  Dark.  White.  Hot, cold, melted, stirred, mixed, non-GMO, organic or infused with orange essence!  I love it all.  This to the detriment of my hips, and to the disgrace of my healthy optioned hubby.  So with the arrival and passage of Easter this past weekend, the bedeviled stuff has arrived.  Now don’t get me wrong… I believe Easter should be celebrated with its true meaning… the resurrection of Christ and all the holiness and grace of His sacrifice for us.  But at our house, we indulge in the confections too.  According to my limited research, the egg (having been the pagan sign of fertility and new life) became associated with Easter somewhere between the 15th and 19th centuries.

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Easter should be celebrated with Christ’s sacrifice for us as its true focus (Photo credit: Jacob Meyer).

Most likely the Germans and/or the French were the first ones to create a hollowed out chocolate egg.  Then they filled it with sweets and distributed it among all the unsuspecting, innocent children. The children!(Personally, I think the Belgians make the best chocolate… but… whatever). Our taste buds have been hooked ever since. Currently, Cadbury World in Birmingham produces 1.5 million creme filled eggs a day.  Oh my heart be still!

So, this got me thinking… why? Why did I once buy a whole Costco-sized carton of Easter-creme eggs and store them for when I am having “one-of-those-days”?  Why do we love the melty stuff and drink in the “food of the gods” as our comfort cuppa?  Turns out chocolate is made up of some 380 chemical compounds that affect our brain chemistry.  The chemical substances in chocolate cause the release of neurotransmitters in the brain that signal us to feel — get this — “happy”.  A lucrative word.

Bear with me as my science mind takes over for a second and we research those chemicals for a bit.  Tryptophan.  It releases serotonin… a commonly known  “anti-depressant” making ya feel, well, no longer depressed.  Phenylethylamine.  An amphetamine releaser creating that excited, pleasurable high.  Theobromine.  Derived from the Greek word, “theobroma” meaning food of the gods.  A stimulant.  Anandamide.  Another “pleasure” producing chemical receptor named after the ancient Sanskrit word for bliss, joy or happiness.  No wonder chocolate bars are sold in drug stores!  Powerful stuff, people.

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Turns out chocolate is made up of 380 “happy” chemicals! (Photo credit: Jon Tyson)

Leaving aside the science for a moment, let’s go back to that happy thing.  For most of us… women especially… chocolate is a good, happy thing.  If it were the only thing that kept us going, though, Cadbury would be manufacturing a heck of a lot more than 1.5 million creme eggs a day.   Recently, my world has been bombarded with sadness.  We lost my beloved mother-in-law a few weeks ago.  A friend recently lost her husband in a quick and unrelenting battle with cancer.  I sobbed big, snotty sobs on my last day of work just last Monday.  The world is filled with UNHAPPY.  Even in biblical times, we see examples of folks who have had to deal with their own sadness and feelings of injustice.  Psalm 10 outlines David’s struggle to make sense of his own unhappy.  Why does it seem that everyone around us prospers while we are stuck struggling to keep our heads above water?  David concludes that God is still the master overseer.  A few chapters later, in Psalm 30, David dedicates the temple to God, recognizing that Christ is the true source of happiness.  Sorry, chocolate.

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Even 1.5 million chocolate eggs can’t make us truly joyful (Photo credit: Annie Spratt).

I’m not sure where you are on the happiness scale right now.  If you are like me, and are seeing some unhappy things in the world around you, be encouraged, my friend, to indulge a little.  Not only in that all that rich goodness of leftover Easter goodies (yes… that is permission to eat that whole bag of m&m’s), but be sure to share it with a friend.  One who points you in the direction of the true overseer of the “unhappy” and turns your sorrow into dancing.  There should never be leftover chocolate eggs in the house. Enrich the children in your life with yet, another Easter egg hunt.  Who says it should stop with only one long weekend? Encourage one another.  Connect. Turn those neurotransmitters on high with a cuppa melty, rich, heartfelt conversation.  Creamy hot cocoa optional.Blog1 - Page 015

 

 

Lost Socks… and How to Love Them

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When my kids were a little younger we loved to read a book called “Lost Socks”.  It follows the possible life of a lost sock and ends with the little boy discovering he has two pairs of socks… exactly the same! *Giggle* It’s a cute book with a good attitude.

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Unfortunately, with a full house, my attitude towards lost socks is not always as good.  I am forever finding one abandoned under the bed… making friends with dust bunnies.  I have a shopping bag full of the creatures… mismatched and piled high because their partner has gone off to better places or is still travelling among the escaped Lego bricks.  It got so bad at one point, we decided to buy all the same colour socks so we could match pairs randomly.  I still have lonely ones in the bag!  A friend of mine painstakingly pins his socks together so if he loses one… he loses both!  Seriously?! I ain’t got time for that!

So what do we do with lost socks?  My Pinterest board is full of ideas… sock puppets, stuffy toys, new mittens… all good things!  My favourite option, however, is wear mismatched!  Just like the little boy in the book.  Be proud to be different!  March 21st was World Down Syndrome Day (2018) and the social sites were scattered with folks supporting it  — with none other than LOST SOCKS!  I love it!  World Down Syndrome Day was first observed in 2006 and encourages everyone “to raise public awareness of Down Syndrome”.  One video that caught my eye was little Tabitha’s.  I know her mom, and although I have met Tabitha only a few times, her warm smile brings joy to my heart. You can visit Tabitha’s YouTube video here.

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Photo credit: Katemangostar

I am not a mom to special needs kids.  I have no idea how difficult it is to maneuver this world with a kid with downs, or on the spectrum, or with physical difficulties.  Be that as it may — I have certainly loved a few.  After volunteering in school for awhile, I was moved by the lack of support being given to teachers, parents and the special education students.  So much so, that I returned to college to seek out some true education on the subject.  (College in my 40’s!  Whew… that’s another whole blog post!) My placements and research put me in the middle of the fire.  And my heart melted because of it.

I could write a big, long, blog post about the inconsistencies and problems of the education system… but I am not.  What I do think is important is supporting one another.  Supporting our students, supporting our parents, and supporting our teachers and staff who make it their jobs to love these kids day in and day out.  It’s hard enough to be with 30 kids at a time, let alone engage and initiate a love for learning in each one of them!  I salute you!  My heart is especially broken for those on the “fringe”.  Blog1 - Page 012The truly lost sock — full of anger and frustration because they are trying to be connected and engaged and simply don’t fit anymore in the system the way it is.  They aren’t truly identified as “special needs” and therefore don’t get the support they require to function well.  Perhaps their families need the biggest support and can’t access it.  They are mismatched and left to wander among the dust bunnies in the corner of the playground.  They have collected some of those lost Lego pieces along the way and are trying to add it to the great tower with all the other kids… only to see it crash down again.

I am certainly no expert in the field.  In fact, I am still quite intimidated by this special needs world.  I don’t really know what to do, or say, or “fix”.  But God is teaching me to love the mis-matched socks of this world.  To appreciate the colours and patterns and wildness of those who might be full of holes and a little worn on the edges.  Those covered in dust bunnies and carrying one lonely Lego piece to add to the tower.  Maybe, just maybe, I can find the match for that lost sock.  It might not be the right colour or style, but it will be one less lonely creature in that shopping bag full of lost socks.

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“…Love your neighbour as yourself…” Mark 12 (Photo credit: Pexels)

 

10 Things to Do in the City (That’ll Force you Out of your Comfort Zone)

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So, we’ve been talking about getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new.  (What?! You didn’t read that post?! You can:  here. ) And since it is March (Spring) Break here in the big city, lots of people are heading out to do some stuff with the family.  I thought it would fun to think of some things that might just push you a little out of your happy place and experience something new.  Maybe even inspire you … and me … to get out there.

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10.  Visit a Tourist Attraction In Your Hometown.

Okay, this doesn’t seem like it might drive you out of your comfort zone.  However, they say you should take a “stay-cation” in your own city and really discover your own hometown.  When’s the last time you went to the local tourist attraction?  And not when visitors came … just you!  You drive by it, you hear about it, you see it advertised … but when is the last time you went?  A school trip maybe when you were little?  Me too.  It’s fun to go to new places and visit, but familiarity is comforting, remember?  Try some of the comforts of home.

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9.  Go to a Sporting Event.

Maybe this one doesn’t apply to you either.  You have season’s tickets and you go to the game all the time.  Okay … so try a new game.  Learn something new.  Or check out a community team with some not-so-professional players.  Or a special needs event — you will learn what real sportsmanship is there!  Go to that nephew’s little league game. It’ll make his day! Be sure to go if there is a once in a lifetime event happening in your city … the Olympics or PanAm Games or Expo.  Memories will count when you tell your grandchildren you saw so-and-so run that race way back when.  Or, if you are like me and rarely go to the game because you are just not that sporty person … go with someone you love, just because they want to go.  It’s about the relationship, not the event.  Cheer for the opposite team. *wink*Blog1 - Page 009

8.  Visit a Farm.

Remember the experiences of the city mouse? You appreciate home when you see the other side of things.  Besides, farms are fun.  I was shocked when we took a neighbour to our local “pick-your-own” and he was super excited to steal a berry or two off the bush and eat it right there in the field!  It’s important to teach our city kids where our food comes from.  To see it fresh.  To eat it off the tree or pull it from the ground.  To smell the smells of the farm (yup… those smells) and pet those wet cow noses!  I know some city families who chop down their own Christmas trees as part of their Christmas traditions.  We pick out our pumpkins for Halloween every year with grandma. Farms force us to slow down and appreciate the conveniences of the city.  Once you have picked all those berries try making your own jam or preserves.  Make a new tradition.

 

Photo KMitton
Photo KMitton
Photo KMitton

7.  Take a Hike.

I admit, this one isn’t a “new” for our family.  We go for walks all the time.  Sometimes in the city proper, sometimes in parks and green spaces.  Occasionally, I have to be dragged out though.  Especially in winter when it is warm and cozy inside. Literally out of my “comfort zone” to the great wilderness.  But I go, because it is one of my husband’s favourite things to do.  Ask any of our friends.  They’ll tell you he’s a walker.  Hikes can refresh and challenge you.  Especially if you work in the concrete jungle cooped up in an office somewhere on the 21st floor.  Fresh air is helpful, they say, to clear your mind and get some new perspective.  The dog might appreciate it.  The kids might sleep better after a long hike.  And if it is available in your city … challenge yourself, physically, with a mountain range or marathon or something.  Hmmn.  Might have to work on this one after all.Blog1 - Page 007

6. Get Out on the Water.

Our city has a great beach.  Boardwalk, with ice cream and sand and everything.  Many picnic nearby in the summers and watch the sunset over the horizon.  Boat. Fish. Pretend you are a pirate.  Learn to canoe or sail or skip rocks.  Maybe your city doesn’t have a large body of water close by.  Cross a river or a brook or jump in puddles in your local green space, or after a rain on the concrete sidewalk!   Our guys once ran around in a giant rain storm splashing and laughing in the puddles  — the neighbours thought our family was crazy.  Appreciate the water and all that it means.  Many don’t have clean water.  The cities often pollute it terribly.  Be reminded of those luxuries you have in the developed world.Blog1 - Page 006

5.  Try new Foods.

One fabulous thing about living in the big city is the plethora of restaurants!  You could try a new place every day and never get bored.  If you are in a multi-cultural city like ours, you can try a host of new and exotic foods!  Just the other day, my eldest daughter and I found a grocery store with all kinds of foods from all over the world!  Shop or dine at a new location.  Meet some new friends and have them take you to an authentic restaurant from their native homeland.  Many cities have ethnic markets or local cultural festivals where food is plentiful.  Go to one!  Step out and try a new recipe to go with that homemade jam from the farm!Blog1 - Page 008

4.  Hone in on History.

This one is not one of my preferred activities.  It’s a personal “comfort zone crossing” I have to work on.  Maybe if I lived in Rome, I could appreciate some city history.  Museums are okay — but sometimes I skip through and don’t take the time to read all the fine print.  If I did, it might enlighten me about some of the unique history of my fair city.  Ancient visitors and old ghost stories.  Battles won and lost here on the land where my feet tread day after day.  How my neighbourhood and local school was once on Native land.  Pop culture icons who visited “back then”.  How times have changed along with the fashion and architect of the city.  Urban sprawl and all that.

 

photo by: KMitton

3. Let your Art out.

This one is a bit easier for me.  A bit harder for others.  I like art.  Even if it is not my “taste” in art, I can appreciate the efforts of the artist.  Cities are great breeding grounds for all kinds of art and culture.  Theatre. Music. Visual Art.  Cities usually have something to appeal to almost any taste.  As city dwellers we should take advantage of all those fringe benefits.  My husband once took me to see the musical CATS when we were dating.  I am sure he hated it.  He goes with our youngest daughter to “the painting place” because she enjoys creating something.  My son just informed me we have something called “graffiti alley” in our city.  I have lived in this city my whole life.  Never heard of it until today.  Art is cool.  Learning to appreciate creativity and another person’s tastes is even cooler.art-supplies-brushes-rulers-scissors-159644.jpeg

2.  Play!

Shy introvert, this one is for you.  Nothing humbles you more than playing with some kids.  Many cities have an abundance of activities for little ones.  It can be as simple as swinging as high as you can on the swings of your local playground, or walking across those stepping-stones in the stream.  Maybe it’s going to the painting place and creating a masterpiece with your youngest.  Dress up. Blow bubbles. Build a snowman.  Giggle and play “Truth or Dare” and “I Spy”.  Don’t have kids?  Borrow some. (Trust me — the parents will totally appreciate a day off!)  See the sights and sounds of the city through a child’s eyes.  Go to the circus or an amusement park with your niece, nephew or cousin.  Be silly.  Have a tea party.  Build a Lego castle.  Eat ice cream and candy till you puke.  (That’ll send you over the comfort zone edge!)  Okay, don’t do that one.  But you should definitely play.  Just because it is fun.

 

Photo KMitton
Photo KMitton
Photo KMitton “The Hub”

1.  Have a Pajama Day.

This one might be easier for some of us.  Others have a hard time with the ultimate comfort of those jammies!  Many of us struggle with the day-to-day busyness of our lives.  The to-do list that never seems to end.  I am the ultimate homebody — but even when I stay inside for the day,  I have a list of things to do … clean a closet, work on a crochet project, put the dishes away.  Once — when the kids were younger, we had a pajama day.  We didn’t get dressed.  We had nowhere to go and even though I had lots I could have done, I was resolved to focus on my relationships with my family and build those bonds that day.  We baked and played board games and laughed and giggled and danced to music.  Daddy was forced to change back into his pajamas when he arrived home from his board meeting (boy,  was he stepping out of his comfort zone, let me tell you!) and soon joined in the fun.Blog1 - Page 010

Living in the big city we have lots we could do, but lots that we don’t do.  When’s the last time you took time to just sit? To marvel at God’s world even among the skyscrapers?  To appreciate something as simple as clean, running water?  To create. To savour the sweet aroma and taste of good food.  To giggle and cheer and scream out loud?  To make memories.  To connect with our close friends and make new ones.  To learn and appreciate your past and invest in your future.  To love your family.  We are told in James 4 that we are “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes”.  Let’s make the most of it while we are here!