Hi There,
Unless you've been hiding under a rock lately (and quite frankly, who could blame you?), I think it is pretty safe to say that you wish you had been hiding under a rock lately. It seems like every bit of mainstream media is clasping onto how absolutely horrific 2016 was.
And rightly so- it was pretty rough. I won't go into details here- we just know.
But, if we are still here, with loved ones around us, and the basics (safe shelter, clean water, food) we have a lot.
Let me highlight some of the good things surrounding Zimt that we can unilaterally enjoy.
1. New branding. Makes the chocolate taste better, right?
bam.
2. Actually, the chocolate does taste better. Because now it 80% dark instead of 70%. Let's put our grown up taste buds on, people.
3. More online sales. I mean, it isn't like there isn't room to grow, but more online sales means more of your dolla dolla goes to worthy charities that are working hard to make sure 2017 isn't as bad as 2016 was.
4. More retailers. Nice retailers. One of my favourite aspects of Zimt- working with nice, like minded individuals. Not everybody (fyi: all my talk is "real talk"), but this has certainly been a good year for working directly with a few exceptionally caring and empathetic individuals.
5. Caramels, popcorn, drinking chocolate. Have you tried them? Time for a cuppa hot cocoa, stat!
Let's get this year started right- with a little gratuity (if you are feeling up to it- sometimes, we just need to feel awful. Eat some chocolate. Feel better...). You are welcome to participate in these arenas this coming year. If we do, things can only be better than had we not.
- If you are safe, happy, and relatively secure, share the love. You are one of the fortunate ones and it is no secret that your gifts could greatly benefit other beings. Donate a little dough, time, and attention to those who really need it. (Or just buy more Zimt online and choose a charity at checkout you want to donate to- no pressure but you'd get chocolate in the process.)
- Get informed. Fact checking, fact checking, fact checking. How often have we heard this phrase these past months and how unfortunate is it that misinformation is dished out again and again, and taken as accurate? It is a sad but true story that a lot of us are unknowingly experiencing. To combat this, I am going to look at more reliable sources for information- I found the independent alternet.org to be a good option. Leave a suggestion below in the comments if you have any other ideas. Also- use your noggin. Choose love but use your noggin.
- Take your time seriously. Want to know what I'm super guilty of? Hitting snooze, trying to snooze, then checking social media for waaaay too long before forcing myself to get out of bed in the morning. It isn't always that extreme (for example, in the summer when the sun is up and the house is already warm), but it sure is a time suck. I am going to make a little list of areas that are not serving my precious time well and will modify my actions to demonstrate more respect for said time. You should do the same because you have the same few hours in a day as I do! (PS- I didn't do the snooze thing this morning- I had to finish this post and get some other projects underway!)
- Lentils + Quinoa. One of the tops of my list is a simple way to free up some time, money, and make sure I don't live off of chocolate scraps. These types of salads travel well and are satiating. Big batches, people. You won't regret it.
Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season, whether you are toughing it out with your beloved co-workers or you are at home drinking copious amounts of hot cocoa and never taking off your fuzzy slippers. We have what we have to start out 2017, but that may be a bit of fuel to become better individuals- lettuce aim for that.
xo emma