Chocolate Tea
I’m not feeling very well today. My stomach is complaining about something and I’ve had trouble keeping warm for most of the day. My fingers are crossed that I’m not coming down with a cold. A cold would put a huge cramp in finishing the second draft of my novel this weekend so I’m doing two things to make sure I have a productive day tomorrow.
- I’m going to bed at a reasonable hour. (Not an easy thing to do with so much work and a self imposed writing schedule staring me down.)
- I’m going to treat myself to a favourite hot tea. (I hope the extra hydration and relaxation will help my body fight off any nasty bug that might be lurking in my system.)
My favourite teas these days are of the chocolate variety. I have three different varieties of chocolate tea in my cupboard (Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Almond and Irish Cream). I use these teas to fight colds and cravings. A warm cup of chocolate tea (while not a replacement for a bar of Lindt or Cadbury goodness while I am in a full chocolate fit) can often stop a chocolate craving in its tracks, saving my waistline. Mmmm chocolate.
I hope that by taking a little time to take care of myself tonight I can make great strides in writing tomorrow. Wish me luck.
Writing Exercise:
Chocolate is all around us, a fact that brings me both despair and happiness. (Happiness for obvious yummy reasons and despair that I will ever fit into a size ten jean.) It can cover nuts, fruit and insects. You can eat it, drink it and rub it into your skin. There is even some evidence that chocolate (in moderation) can benefit your physical and mental health. Imagine what might happen if the part of chocolate that boosts our mood and makes it so popular were discovered and distilled. What if the essence of chocolate became the mood enhancing drug of choice in our population and the government was forced to make chocolate a controlled substance.
(At this point in the exercise, if you love chocolate as much as I do, please take a moment to breath. This is only an exercise, not an actual emergency. If this were an actual chocolate emergency an alarm would sound and instructions would follow. Now, back to your regularly scheduled writing exercise.)
If chocolate became a controlled substance, would you seek a prescription for cocoa? How would the population react? Would there be an underground market for the original product? Would people begin to grow cocoa trees in hydroponic labs? Spend twenty minutes exploring this strange new world, then treat yourself to a cup of tea.
