Monday and it is finally daylight. It just looks like a winter day out the window. There is a half-light greyness about and a stillness as though the world is reluctant to stir, to face another day of pandemic and riots and hard choices. I have been up since 3:00, easing into the day with reading and coffee.

When I was kid growing up in Wyoming, I was not aware of how new and wonderful the life around me was. Our grocery store was filled with stuff I took for granted. Huge boxes of cereal called Jets and Kix and Sugar Puffs. Down the aisle, boxes of Twinkies and instant hot chocolate mix, maple syrup in glass bottles next to boxes of cake and pancake mix.

It was all new to my parents who grew up during the depression. Cakes and pancakes were made from scratch with flour and baking powder, cocoa powder if you wanted chocolate cake. Syrup was made from sugar, water, and a bit of mapleine flavoring boiled until it thickened. Oatmeal took forever because it was not instant. It had to be stirred and watched over. It took patience and time. My parents were a bit skeptical and we rarely bought the “new stuff” without embarrassing scenes of pleading in the grocery aisles. My sisters and I rarely got to go with mom to the store and only under the strictest guidelines of behavior, connected to the purchase of one small treat at the end if our performance was up to standard. We failed about as often as we passed.

With time, however, the new items became more routine and a two pack of Twinkies or Sugar Puffs showed up in the grocery sack. We occasionally hit a grand slam with the giant carton of little boxes of cereal…the variety pack, perfect for eating cereal in front of the TV on Saturday mornings, the side carefully cut, the flaps pulled back into a make-shift bowl.

Interestingly, over the years, as the new products lost their novelty, the old methods gained a new charm for me. Hot chocolate made from real cocoa powder, with sugar, vanilla, and a touch of salt stirred and simmered over a back burner, became a reminder of winter nights in Wyoming. The warm cocoa stirred and tended so the bottom didn’t scorch, poured into cups as a treat before bedtime. It was a calming comfort.

And so, this morning, I have made cocoa from scratch to drink while the day begins. We are, I think, going to need our strength in the days to come. It is a difficult time, and we are best suited to deal with our problems if we are centered and calm. If we breath slowly and listen. For me, a cup of cocoa made the old way is a step. I can sense the comfort, wonder, and peace of being young and (very) innocent again and I can try to sustain that feeling. It is what I want for my children and grandchildren.

And so, I twirl my mug, mixing the last of the drink with the chocolate at the bottom and toss it back. I’ll go, rinse the cup and set it in the sink. It’s time to start this day.

Blessings

Posts