Today was a horrible day, full of meanness and ill will. It has damaged my optimistic view of humanity, but surely only for today. Two positive things came from this. The first is that my warm-and-caring-turned-cold-and-biting story can only be strengthened. I don’t think that I can back this one into a corner, so I’ll run with the tone and see what happens. And the second thing is that I sought comfort in the arms of homemade hot chocolate. I made this hot chocolate from scratch, and then topped it with hand-whipped cream and tiny curls of chili chocolate. Chili chocolate is something that my father introduced me to, and although I kicked and screamed at first, it really is delicious. It’s chocolate with a blushing warmth that comes up on your lips afterwards. Fantastic in small doses. And, of course, a strawberry, because I’m mad about them.

So here’s to taking something ugly and finding a way to turn it into a thing of joy.