Bombs

There’s a new trend these days: hot cocoa bombs.

A hot cocoa bomb is hot cocoa mix inside a sphere of chocolate. You put the chocolate sphere into a cuppa, pour hot milk over it, and the outside chocolate melts, releasing the cocoa mix into the milk. Sometimes, the hot cocoa bombs also contain marshmallows, or peppermint bits, or other tasty treats to add to the cocoa experience.

I find them enchanting, and not just because I’m a chocoholic.

“Bomb” is an ugly word, a destructive word associated with pain and terror, normally. So, the association of the word “bomb” with chocolate and warmth, comfort and sweetness, is a nice turn. It doesn’t eradicate the other definition, but it does add a new layer, a happy alternative.

Perhaps one day, these delightful treats will be the first – or even the only – thing we think of when we hear the word “bomb.” We aren’t there yet and likely won’t be for a long time. But it’s World Kindness Day, so it’s a good day to celebrate our potential for changing the narrative, to recognize our ability to shift the focus from destruction to deliciousness, from hatred and horror to sweet, warm hope.