Chokeberry's Gift

This is an excerpt from the weekly News-Loveletter. If you would like it sent to your inbox directly (with all the other juicy bits, including a mini joy practice), you can add yourself to my mailing list here.

Some things are good for you even if you don't like the taste.

That truth is sometimes hard to swallow.

The aronia berry is a patient teacher. Every year, her love leaks purple across my fingers and lips as I pick and taste and wince. The aronia berry is astringent. She's been nicknamed "Chokeberry" for a reason.

The cluster of tannins beneath every purple-black skin hits my tongue like a Cabernet Sauvignon on steroids.

It's up to me to develop a taste for this.

Sometimes, we're open to a gift when we understand its benefits. Knowing how Priming benefits my mind and body makes it easier for me to fit it in each morning.

Knowing the brain science behind my practice of joy helps me commit to following it step by step when I feel low. That commitment is more challenging to honor when life is good.

But I never want to take a back seat on joy. If I don't practice joy in the good times, that practice won't save me when times get rough.

Doing some research helped me love my friend aronia better as well. I had known she was a superfood when I planted her out front almost 20 years ago.

Now that I'm 52, I read about her superpowers on Google with fresh eyes. She's the berry highest in bioflavinoids—that's what paints you purple.

Aronia is a highly qualified treatment for cancer, high cholesterol, gastrointestinal issues. She's a great choice to support the immune system. Supplementation of aronia has boosted athletic performance and balanced blood sugar for diabetics.

Aronia is truly a wonder. But oh—coming to love the flavor. That has posed a problem for me for years. This year, I commit to breaking down my barriers and learning to love the taste of that berry.

So much of love is in our heads. Knowing what aronia aims to heal in my body helps me appreciate her chokeworthy tang. It's not without sweetness. When allowed to ripen fully, she makes an effort.

Many sweeten aronia further with sugar or mix her with dairy, but these hinder the many benefits she brings, so I stand a purist. Hiding her berries among blueberries or pears in my oatmeal is a-ok!

With almost 3 quarts of dried berries and several quarts fresh-frozen, Seda and I will be dosing ourselves on the regular and coming to love this prickly tasting fruit.

To love another is to feel the love. What a blessing that love is a choice.

You'll know when I've paid tribute to aronia by the color of my teeth. I will never die of cancer, but I will live long sporting a purple grin! In case you rustle up some of this love medicine for yourself, I'll tell you about the clean up.

Rinse after eating, swishing well. Avoid brushing your teeth for an hour so the acid retreats and you don't brush off your tooth enamel.

So much in life is about learning how to love ourselves and others.

Let's celebrate that love is a choice.