Chesterton Chocolates

I derive great pleasure from the beauty of simple things. A repetitive task is not onerous to me, as long as there is some sense of satisfaction to be derived from the task at hand. I think that's why I like chocolate so much. I just finished my final chocolate offering for the auction and I found dipping over five dozen individual chocolates extremely satisfying. Frustrating at times, but I was always spurred on by the chance that the next chocolate would be perfect. And when one was perfect, it made me giggle with satisfaction. I think this is just the way I'm wired. I think it's why I was able to succeed in music too--there's a lot of monotony in practicing, but once you get it right, it's extremely satisfying, perhaps more satisfying than anything else.

I'm happy with about four individual chocolates I made. And that's not to say that I'm trashing all the rest, like I might have done when I was a kid. With age comes wisdom, (at least hopefully) and I'm actually enjoying the learning process this time around without beating myself up for making some that aren't perfect. Patience with oneself is a virtue worth cultivating.

All I know is that chocolate making is the most fun I've had in a long time. And I suppose based on what I've posted the past few days, finding some fun things to do isn't a bad idea.

I'll post pictures tomorrow of my chocolates. Overall, I'm pretty proud of them--especially four of them.

Recently I heard a powerful quote from G. K. Chesterton about monotony that struck a chord with me, and when I think of making chocolates, it certainly applies.

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again’; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again,’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again,’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” -G.K. Chesterton

That's kind of how I feel about chocolate. I say let's do it again.