Oct 23, 2008

BESTILL MY CHOCOLATE HEART

OK, so I just couldn't go to bed without sharing a story. About chocolate.

Several years ago I took the train into Chicago to the Borders bookstore on Michigan Avenue. Dr. Andrew Weil was there for a reading from his latest book on food and I wanted to see him live and in person. (I think the title of the book is "Eating for Optimal Health", but that would require me to go find it and I'm just not gunna'.)

Dr. Weil is the guy that promotes integrative healing and does a lot of PBS shows about healthy living, etc. He kinda' looks like Santa Claus. (Yup. You guessed it. I have a MAJOR thing for Santa Claus, but that's another story for another day.)

I always thought Dr. Weil would be this portly fellow and kind of a hippie/dippy type, but when he walked onto the stage I about fell outta' my chair. He was dressed in a gorgeous dark suit and positively GLOWED with health. I mean it. The guy was lean and graceful and had the most beautiful skin and hair and smile. He just looked like he was the healthiest person to walk the face of the earth. I could have listened to him talk about food and health all day long. He was very interesting and approached his topic from both a medical as well as philosophical perspective. I was smitten.

So after his reading and a rather lengthy Q&A, he takes one last question from the audience. "Dr. Weil. What is the one food that you would eat daily to achieve optimal health?"

Without missing a beat he said (and I quote, because it has become my mantra): "I eat a one ounce piece of good quality dark chocolate every single day. Nothing could be better for you."

I thought the place was going to collapse from the applause.

So anywhoose.....I get in line to get my book signed by Dr. Andrew Weil His Very Self and as I approach the table I reach into my purse and pull out a Hershey's Kiss (they didn't have dark chocolate then) and I placed it on the table in front of him and he said "Will you marry me?" with the most twinkly eyes I have ever seen. Ever.

I've never been the same since and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh, and PS....I had my one ounce today. And then some.

8 comments:

  1. I should have read this post before I left my comment on the other *LOL* Okay, one ounce it is !

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  2. I just ignore the word "dark" and I figure I'm just fine eating chocolate on a regular basis. ;-)

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  3. Well, did you jump across the table and kiss him??? Huh, did you???

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  4. I used to get the random marriage proposal from drunk guys because my dad was a beer distributor. Your RMPs are way better. Why didn't you say yes? ;)

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  5. What a great story! I'll have to check out that book. I'm in the Chicago area, too - do you know of any stitching get togethers in the area?

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  6. I definitely get my ounce of chocolate everyday...I work at The Hershey Company in Hershey, PA and we can eat as much as we want while we are at work...I am a diabetic and that is definitely not a good thing for me but I usually can't resist! this is my "second career" having retired after 37 years at Penn State and I'm loving it!

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  7. That's bad news for me... I'm probably the only woman in the world who doesn't like chocolate! What am I supposed to eat? lol

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  8. If one ounce is good then six or eight should be fabulous!

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