Hot and Healthy Beverages

This is Day 7 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is Hot Beverages.

With much of the country being a deep freeze lately, many of us have turned to hot beverages to warm us up and chase away the winter blues.

• We Southerners like our iced tea, but there is a greater health benefit in drinking hot tea because the steeping process draws all of the flavor, nutrients and antioxidants into the water.
  
• Hot cocoa is higher in antioxidants than red wine, 2-3 times higher than green tea and 4-5 times higher than black tea. So, if you don't like tea--drink cocoa. However, commercial preparations may negate any benefits, so check the labels and consider making your own.
  
• An infusion of hot water, lemon, and turmeric with pinches of cayenne, sea salt and raw cane sugar is filled with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The hot water and lemon serves to flush the liver and kidneys.
  
• A cup of hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick does more than warm you up. It is a good source of Vitamin C, and the cinnamon promotes good digestion and can moderate blood sugar levels for diabetics.
  
• If you're feeling a bit under the weather, a cup of hot ginger tea can help with digestive issues as well as relieve coughing. Make a soothing cup with boiling water and fresh ginger slices, strain and add honey to taste.
  
• Coffee drinkers, you are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's or dementia. Coffee may also reduce risk factors for heart attack and stroke. The caffeine, however, can raise blood pressure and increase adrenaline levels.
  
• Herbal tea isn't really tea, but the steeping process and health benefits are the same. Chamomile is a popular one often used to help you relax. Most herbal teas contain antioxidants, but do not contain caffeine, and are therefore good for bedtime drinks.
  
• Mulled wine is a seasonal beverage of red wine blended with various spices such as
  nutmeg and cinnamon, and we already know red wine and spices contain antioxidants. So enjoy a mug of hot, mulled wine during the holidays, but as with all alcoholic beverages, enjoy in moderation.
  
• Last but not least is the hot toddy. An age-old remedy to chase away those winter time nasties that just drag you down. There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. Just put some honey in a mug, add boiling water and a bit of lemon juice and let the warmth soothe what ails you. To make the alcoholic version, just add a splash of your favorite, rum, brandy, bourbon or other similar liquor.

What is your favorite hot beverage?

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Embarrassment on the 16th Floor

This is Day 6 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is Well, that was embarrassing... Check out the other participants for more embarrassing stories.

Picture it, a mid-1990s office setting. An office gal, dressed in a casual skirt and loafers, is carrying papers, folders, etc. to her supervisor, who was standing near the back door of the department; the door which opened onto a hallway lined with VP offices.

At that very moment in walked a VP who rarely had business in her department. She thought he always looked serious, perhaps even stern.

So what did the office gal do? She tripped on one of those invisible things that love to tangle up the feet of unsuspecting people, and went sprawling headlong onto the floor practically at his feet. 

Totally mortified, she scrambled to her feet, handed off the papers and made a hasty exit to her cube to lick her wounds. 

The most embarrassing thing is that this is a true story...that office gal was me. 😧



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#20daysofchill

This is Day 5 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is #Hashtag.

Not every prompt is going to stir your imagination or bring forth a humorous recollection. This is one of those days and one of those prompts.

Today's Top Ten Instagram Hashtags

  1.  #love - 143,817,139 photos

  2.  #instagood - 97,570,915 photos

  3.  #me - 80,693,198 photos

  4.  #tbt - 75,411,509 photos

  5.  #cute - 75,047,873 photos

  6.  #photooftheday - 70,995,806 photos

  7.  #instamood - 64,925,462 photos

  8.  #beautiful - 54,570,181 photos

  9.  #picoftheday - 53,776,027 photos

10.  #igers - 52,997,258 photos

And my own as it relates to today's topic:  #igotnothing

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Playing The Game

This is Day 4 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is Win or Lose.

We have all heard the phrase It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.  What does that really mean? Does winning make you superior? Does losing somehow make you a better person, or just make you look like a loser?

This topic is a complicated one with lots of gray areas. It seems many now think that everyone should be a winner and get a trophy just for having participated–so that no one's feelings are hurt. What does that teach us?

There will always be shining stars whose talent and hard work should be recognized, and to give out awards for just showing up diminishes their efforts.

That said, winning makes you feel good about yourself and builds confidence. So, should we strive to win all the time? In a manner of speaking, but how you play the game will reflect either positively or negatively on you and upon your success. You should strive to win by playing fairly and winning on your own merits. Bottom line, whether you win or lose, you should do either with grace and dignity.

Successful people are admired and respected when their achievements come from their own hard work as well as for their benevolence to others.


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A Mess at Mass

This is Day 3 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is Toilet paper on your shoe.

Jill was running late and scrambling to get out the door. She could not be late for mass again. That would make three times this month, which would not gain her favor with Sister Agnes, and she was supposed to help Jill head up the food drive next week. It wasn't her fault this time, she told herself. Oscar and Pixie had been playing with the toilet paper again...what a mess.

Jill wheeled into the closest parking space available (why there are 15 handicap spaces when the average age of the congregation was 40 she would never understand). She practically ran down the sidewalk and up the stairs, barely catching her breath as the pulled open the large wooden doors of the 19th century cathedral. With just minutes to spare, she slid into the only open spot, near the front, directly in front of the priest. She gave a sigh of relief and uttered a silent prayer of thanks, only to feel her face flame when she glanced down to see about three feet of toilet paper solidly attached to her heel. 








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