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CURATED CURIOSITIES
There’s nothing like chocolate chip cookies to turn around a Monday morning! The sweetest executive at my workplace bakes the sweetest treats. The break room gets an upgrade at the start of every week thanks to her weekend patissiere projects. (Have I mentioned I’m obsessed?)
Two days ago triggered fanaticism. It’s the cookies! I bit into surprise. The joy of cinnamon! The kick with the dark chocolate and brown sugar is next level palate material. Thoughtful does bake better!
“Sugar & Spice”
Cinnamon is actually a spicy maverick. How so? It enhances sweetness but lowers blood sugar. Translation? It tastes a bit decadent yet it’s good for you. Chefs say simply smelling it boosts brain activity. It sounds like something an Olympic athlete might be into.
As it turns out, the athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games will get to dine on Michelin-star gourmet dishes. Some of France’s top chefs will demonstrate their artistry at the athlete’s village. The idea is give the competitors a taste of what French cuisine and culture is all about. There will even be a boulangerie where athletes can make their own baguettes by hand with a chef.
“Hydrates de Carbone”
The dough of resilience is also rising at the 2024 games. There’s an Olympic Refugee Team. More than 36 athletes from 11 different countries will compete. All of their stories are so compelling. As in life, sport demands hope, positivity, and grit.
There’s an anthem of overcoming. It drums in the dregs of setback. It syncopates through pain. It crescendos forward supernaturally.
I felt that way intermittently over the three years of writing and editing my novel. It just launched yesterday, May 7th. I love numbers and chose 7 because it’s the biblical number of completion. BUT, I discovered something even better—kinda like that cinnamon. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” 9th symphony debuted in Vienna on May 7, 1824! It’s considered the the composer’s penultimate masterpiece; an epic celebration of unity, hope, and humanity.
Yet Beethoven never even heard it. He composed it while deaf. He persevered. It premiered. But another musician had to alert him to the rapturous applause in the audience. I’m no Beethoven or Pulitzer Prize winning novelist. But I have learned the art of joy. One of the lines in “SolHuBod” is “hear the unseen.” I guess you could also say “See the unheard.” Either way, I’m convinced it’s immortal joy that triumphs in heart, mind, and soul.
JOY VIBRATES WITH VISION THROUGH SILENCE AND DARKNESS.”
I like that Beethoven was regarded as a compositional rebel. I love that he triumphed with passion. Still, the eternal message of his music resonates strongest with me. “Joy, bright spark of divinity…” It’s what his art ignited in humanity.
Back to cinnamon. It’s not actually sweet. It simply amplifies the sweetness of the other ingredients. It’s the elixir of harmony. It’s a radical catalyst of divine breakthrough.
“The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Nehemiah proclaimed this after the rebuilding. Then he sent his people off to feast with the poor in a great celebration. Joy shares.
I believe that sharing life words elevates us toward joy. I’m grateful to weather through with you! Have a prayer and an amazing week!
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