The Soothing Properties of Hot Cocoa on a Warm Autumn Day

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 I know what you're thinking...hot cocoa on a WARM autumn day?  You probably can't think of anything more revolting than a bevarage that literally has heat in the name on a sunny muggy day. But let me tell you...there is something special about finding shelter in your overheated apartment, turning on all the fans and ferociously working to cool off the apartment in an attempt to pretend it is a crisp autumn day, and not the 90 plus degree weather that feels so dissasociated with the start of school in Oregon. And maybe, just maybe, you've managed to cool down the apartment to the point where the idea of a sweater or a cozy blanket isn't so preposturous and the thought of warm cocoa in your hands seems like the most delighted idea you've had all day. 

But here is the thing about hot cocoa. You don't just drink hot cocoa. It is a beverage to be sipped and savored. It is an experience to be enjoyed in the company of others. Or relished in a moment of solitude and rest. Hot cocoa is a sign that fall has arrived, pumpkin patches are open for business, Christmas is coming...the goose is getting fat. It is a beverage enjoyed in mass amounts through large canteens at Christmas parades or sloshed around gently in mugs held tenderly by college roomates after their first week of classes. 

A week of chaos and change.

 A week full of moments of gratitude and joy.

 A week of overwhelm and unknown. 

A week of pockets of peace. 

A week of Jesus working in the difficulties and the new and beautiful. 

This week I have lost and I have gained. I have met beautiful people and learned some beautiful things. I have stressed and I have slept. Through it all God has been faithful. 

And despite the heat, nothing sounded like a more relaxing reset then a rich hot cocoa sitting next to the fan with my roomates swapping childhood stories, diagnosing each other with ADHD, and releasing the tension of a tough first week. Tough classes and tough practices. Failed quizzes and music mishaps. 

Sitting in sweet community as we develop a little family and home with which to live and rest in this year. 

Christmas and Halloween bring stories. Wether spooky or sacred. And with these stories, hot cocoa. Partaking in this delightful drink is bound to have some storytelling effect on it's enjoyer. And as I'm sure I will happily go on about later, stories have power. Power to connect. To relate. To process. To empathize. To give voice to and share in struggles and joys.

 Like I said...what better way to relax into the evasive autumn of the start of the school year then with hot cocoa and the stories that come with it. 


Comments

  1. Rebekah LeeSeptember 24, 2022 at 12:09 AM

    Hello, Sophie, you seem like a very lovely person! I love the way you've written this, it has a very comforting and gentle voice that suits the subject at hand very well :)
    I think I was drawn to this because I'm super big on enjoying my favorite foods regardless of how appropriate it is for the weather, even if it can be a pain; if I want ice cream in January, I'm getting ice cream in January, and nothing's stopping me from enjoying milk-based tomato soup when its 90 degrees outside.
    While we're on the subject, it was seriously the WORST how hot it was for the first few weeks of the semester, wasn't it? Thank God its finally cooling down, haha.

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