Each year, this Grandma looks forward to some annually repeated news releases that some might think are trivial. I love the information annually on the most popular baby names. I love the information about the color of the year. These are not connected, but this year, the 2019 color of the year and dark chocolate connected and I was surprised how and why and the effect upon us Boomers in 2019.
The color of the year is chosen by Pantone, and how the color is chosen and why is the subject of much research. This post on the 2018 color of the year explains it all:
What Purple, The 2018 Color of the Year, Has To Do With The Washington Post and The New York Times Rivalry And A Subliminal Political Message for The Coming Year
The 2019 color of the year is Living Coral. It is also a political message, but not so subliminal. Yes, it is all about nature, and our need to preserve coral in our seas. It is also described by Pantone as a soft and sociable shade as a “reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedded into daily life.” Living Coral, as the color selected to be color of 2019, is to remind us of life and energizing living. Now when you see coral in makeup, lip stick and nail polish, you know why. When you see coral accents, bedding, and accessories advertised, you know why. One of my favorite articles on coral accessories, all reasonably priced, is on the Zoe Report on line, “Shop Pantone’s 2019 Color Of The Year In Home Decor Under $100,”By Ashley Tibbits.
To this Grandma, dark chocolate is the essence of energizing living. When my eldest daughter was a baby, I was an evil chocoholic mother. I wanted to share my love of dark chocolate and shared chocolate fudge from a jar with my three month old baby, one baby teaspoon for her and one baby teaspoon for me. This was not a one time event. I created another chocoholic! After all, I cannot go one day without my dark chocolate. To this day, dark chocolate brightens my life, even more so than the color Living Coral.
All of a sudden, dark chocolate of at least 70% cacao is the subject of studies, proven to have positive effects on our life. It is proven to lower stress levels and inflammation, raise mood, memory and immunity. See this April 24, 2018 study reported on this Grandma’s go to website for science and medical information, Science Daily, “Dark chocolate consumption reduces stress and inflammation: Data represent first human trials examining the impact of dark chocolate consumption on cognition and other brain functions.”
See this second June 29, 2017 study, “Cocoa and chocolate are not just treats — they are good for your cognition: Cocoa can be seen as a dietary supplement to protect human cognition and can counteract different types of cognitive decline.”
Even a January 1, 2019 article in the New York Times, about “Four Simple Words to Help You Live Well: Move. Nourish, Refresh. Connect.” emphasized a “Mindful Chocolate Challenge.” It recommends a mindful meditation using a piece of dark chocolate! The 2019 message is “[t]his year, take a small step every day to build healthy habits for your body, mind and spirit.”
Living Coral will raise our spirits in our homes and clothing and accessories, and remind us to keep our planet healthy. Dark chocolate will help our personal health, as well as raise our spirits. Both are part of healthy habits for 2019.
For those of us who are calorie counters, my brother introduced me to Russell Stover’s sugar free individually wrapped dark chocolate medallions, dark chocolate without guilt. It is so rich that I challenge you to eat all of the five pieces that make up one serving at one time.
So, here is our individual 2019 challenge connected by Living Coral and dark chocolate.
Enjoy life, preserving living nature, and be mindful of what is truly important in our lives. Meditate and disconnect to avoid the external stresses, keep spirits high and find some simple joys in life. . . . and do not forget to eat your dark chocolate daily. After all, there is nothing sweeter to lower stress levels and inflammation, raise mood, memory and immunity all of which will bring us Boomers
Joy,
Mema
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