They say dark chocolate is good for you, the darker the better. They also say that cocoa powder is good for you. Although cocoa is not a super food, it adds quite a lift to a restricted diet, and there are some moderate health benefits in the way of flavanols. I eat cocoa every day.
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins start my day at breakfast, along with a cup of chicory/coffee, followed by 175 gm of Greek yogurt mixed with with ground cashews and dates. This is what I enjoy in the morning after my two mile walk. In addition, as this is the biggest meal of the day for me, I have fresh raw vegetables and fruit, and about 24 ounces of filtered water.
The vegetable and fruit vary by season, what does well in the garden, and sales at the grocery store. Right now it is slim pickings, so breakfast includes cucumber slices and apple slices. At other times of year it might include strawberries, kohlrabi, blueberries, peppers, zucchini, edible pod peas, cherries… the list goes on.
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins end my day of eating, end my eating window. After a light dinner, shared with Attila, I enjoy another 24 ounces of filtered water, three tablespoons of the oat bran mixture made from the recipe at the University of Michigan Health System, which was recommended to me by the Gynecologist. And then, the finale of the daily feasting, a second Chocolate Zucchini Muffin.
The muffins keep me true to my diet, because I love them, and I do not seem to tire of them. They contribute a high proportion of the calories in my daily intake, but are worth the indulgence, because I feel indulged, and never ever feel deprived.
The wonder of my later years is that I have enough… enough chocolate, enough love, enough food, enough safety, enough forgiveness, enough gratitude… enough.
I would accept more of the good stuff though, even though I already have enough, doors and windows are open to that.
Worldly
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11°C
Date: 7:00 PM EDT Saturday 23 May 2026
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Temperature: 10.8°C
Dew point: 8.0°C
Humidity: 83%
Wind: ESE 21 gusts 30 km/h
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“People never ask me where I get the inspiration for my work and I really wish they would,” Wagamese said in a 2014 interview with the Globe and Mail “The answer is long and complicated but shows my motivation to write and create stories. Simply and briefly put, I get my inspiration from the knowledge that there is someone out there in the world who is just like me — curious and desiring more and more knowledge of the world and her people. I write so that when they pick up one of my books there is an instantaneous connection, like we’re collaborating on the story.”
Richard Wagamese
1955 – 2017
I have only read one of Richard Wagamese’s novels, Indian Horse, which I loved.
And he is right, there was an instantaneous connection, like we were collaborating on the story he created, as he says. As if he understood that I understood, and could relate to the experiences described in the book, but from a different context, also traumatizing. Because in a world where racism or any ism exists, and power serves power, many people of all races, genders, persuasions, suffer, and many people all over the world are traumatized, need to be forgiven their less than stellar behaviour that results from that trauma, and need to move forward with grace and tolerance.
We all need to move forward with grace and tolerance, together.