The Sweetness of Life
Lou Ann and I are watching one of our favorite movies: Chocolat. It is a story of a vagabond woman and her daughter who travel from town to town dispensing cocao remedies. The cacao tree is native to the amazon valleys. It was domesticated by the Olmecs and Mocayas (Mexico and Central America). More than 4,000 years ago, it was consumed by pre-Columbian cultures along the Yucatan, including the Mayans, and as far back as Olmeca in spiritual ceremonies, but I digress. Chocolat tells the story of Vianne Rocher, a young single mother, who arrives in the French village of Lansquenet Sous Tannes at the beginning of Lent with her six-year-old daughter, Anouk. Vianne has arrived to open a chocolaterie, which is on the square opposite the church. During the traditional season of fasting and self-denial; she gently changes the lives of the villagers who visit her with a combination of sympathy and a little magic.
Her chief adversary is the Comte de Reynaud who runs the town using strict rules and intimidation. Soon Vianne shares her sweet deserts and people become freer and find their loves and passions. It is a metaphor for how many of us limit ourselves by rules we learned from our parents and instructors. Yes, there are rules that serve us, like stopping at a red light. However, we also stop our lives using an emotional red light that stymies our growth and kills our dreams. The metaphorical Reynaud may live inside each of us. He has personal hurts in life that have caused him pain and he takes out his anger on others.
For me, life is meant to be sweet. We are here to enjoy all the joy, love and abundance our hearts will allow. We are not here to march to anyone else’s music. We are the embodiment of the beauty of the Universe in all it’s glory. We are here to be a sweet partner of Mother Earth and all of it’s inhabitants. And along the way, maybe have a few cups of hot chocolate, seasoned with some Mayan chili pepper. I would love for us to create dialogue in this blog. For instance, how have you learned to fulfill your life journey with your love of life? From my sweet heart to yours, Thomas