All Bottled Up

I have noticed this again and again and in retrospect realized that at one point I have gone through this phase too. On closer observation I have noticed that a certain trait is constant in many individuals whether in the service sector or in the business sector. This particular trait could be classified as irritability and anger and to an extent bordering on manic diffusions of a certain sort of behavior which becomes a way of life, more of a habit. An example or something which you can do a check on in your own home the next time goes something like this; when you wake up, you either go make your tea or do the morning rituals before settling down to a quick breakfast or a rush through with barely-there interactions with the members of your house? Correct? Well have you noticed the conversations which take place around at the breakfast table with the everyday faces of your life? These are usually of two types – ones a quiet, sleepy, clink-clank of the vessel sort of breakfast with some busy eating, some reading the newspapers, some typing away furiously on their phones/iPads over text/email/social-media sites. The other type comes up when one of the members ‘speaks up’. It could be any utterance, something as simple as pass the salt and which eventually roller balls into a flair-up of some sort at some point in the course of this routine.

Now I am not saying this is a regular occurrence, nor am I judging the quality of life people live and also not that I have gone and lived with every single person in my country and taken a survey, but what I have observed overall in many households, is that this irritability, angst, frustration, devoid of any politeness behavior is reminiscent of the lack of communication, the fast paced life we lead, the 24 hour is not enough syndrome and worst of all – no control over your emotions and its subsequent release at the right time.

Through the day we go through the trials and tribulations of life, our interactions are ten fold due to new age technologies, work gets done much faster and we are entering an era when multi-tasking is a key characteristic of a person. These things take up so much of your time in a span of a single day that you have no choice but to spill over to the next day with only a break in between of sleep because there is only that much a physical being can take. Now, not all those situations, occurrences in ones routine are pleasant. Demands, orders, instructions, deadlines all zap up the mental and physical energy a single individual is capable of handling. You come back home to eat and sleep, barely interacting with anyone else as everyone else has a certain ‘time’ and ‘routine’ of their own. The only time you will bump into them is the morning, when even before you wake up, your subconscious is already into overdrive and you have started thinking about the day you have to face – whether good or bad. So when you actually get around to facing the immediate familiar faces around you, you are already tuned into the various tasks ahead of you thus snapping a deal with your tongue with a ‘don’t hold back, as there is clearly no time till the day ends again’ situation.

Why all this bottling up?

Is it really that difficult to prioritize your day? Ok if its not, well deal with it, but what is the fault of the immediate people in your life – in your life! Think again, everyone has their trials and tribulations; everyone has to go through the day with things on their mind and tasks to complete. Why do we paint a picture of self-worth only and not lay a thought to the others in our immediate surroundings, especially the ones who are close to us and the ones who matter?

I have gone through that phase and know of only very few who are blessed into handling when faced with such a trait. I had diligently tried to get a grip of my life since the past one year and have finally achieved a certain rein on it. A resolution made last Christmas after a taxing year at work made me rethink the way I lead my life and today, a few days before Christmas, I see that I have changed for the better. There are certain elements in my surroundings who need to take a rain check when it comes down to this everyday trait – but I leave it to them to read and decide when they need to take a reality check and change for the better.

This Christmas for me and for a very long time to come, would be devoid of any negative angst ridden traits. I have learnt the art of releasing and relinquishing the bottled up emotions and conditions one goes through before heading to bed and night, so when I wake up the next day, I am ready to embrace it with a smile on my lips and a sparkle in my eyes. After all, Santa never delivered gifts to bad children, now did he?

Pack up these goodie jars which I call Christmas in a Jar. A delightful sweet bottled up creation which you can gift to your loved ones this Christmas. If they are lucky enough to read this blog post, well they know that not all things bottled up need be bitter.

Christmas in a Jar

A hot chocolate dry mix, layered in a jar with intense flavors of Christmas! All you need to do is pour hot milk, stir and drink up this Christmas in a Jar, Cheers this holiday season and live better.

Ingredients

• 4 tablsp – Drinking Chocolate Powder
• 4 tablsp – White Castor Sugar
• 4 tablsp – Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• 1 tablsp – Strawberry Milk Powder (optional)
• 2 tablsp – Brown Sugar
• ½ tsp – Cinnamon Powder
• ½ tsp – Nutmeg Powder
• White Baby Marshmallows
• 2 tablsp – Chocolate Sprinkles

Other Apparatus

• 150 ml Glass Jar with a screw top lid
• Heavy Metallic Pestle

Wash the jar and clean well, ensuring you don’t leave any traces of water.

Start by layering the ingredients as below:

Spoon in the drinking chocolate powder and carefully thump with a heavy pestle till it’s well packed at the bottom.

Spoon in the White Castor sugar and thump well with the pestle till the sugar is layered over the chocolate powder.

Toss the nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar together and spoon over the white castor sugar layer repeating the thumping procedure to form a well-packed layer.

Spoon on the Strawberry milk powder, thump and repeat with the unsweetened cocoa powder and form a well-packed layer.

Fill the empty (top) area of the jar with baby marshmallows and a sprinkling of chocolate sprinkles and seal the jar well. Alternatively you can also tie the sprinkles in a little plastic or muslin bag and hang it over the ribbon which could be used to decorate the jar.

Tie a small handwritten recipe card of instructions to make the Christmas inspired hot chocolate by illustrating or instructing how to pour hot milk in the jar till its brim and then transferring the contents into a larger bowl while more milk is added till the right sweetness is acquired.

To Use

Heat full fat milk till boiling and pour just enough into the jar till the powders absorb the milk and you cant fill any more, give it a good stir and transfer into a larger bowl, stirring in more hot milk till you get the desired dilution. This should make about 4 steaming mugs.

This can make a unique gift idea when visiting friends or family over Christmas this year. Have a very Happy Christmas!!!