If I had a vote in the food industry, chocolate would be the next food group.

Fortunately, they didn’t ask me.

I love all types and forms of chocolate. A perfect day ends with one small dark chocolate treat, typically wrapped around a favorite nut. On one trip to an IGA in a nearby town, I discovered yet another mocha blessing – chocolate coffee. To be precise, the item was Caribou Coffee’s Chocolate Wonder. Was it any “wonder” that it ended up in my cart?

The next morning I spent the first five minutes with my nose in the bag. The sweet blended aroma of fragrant, rich coffee and chocolate gently kissed my nostrils and settled sweetly somewhere in the pleasure region of my brain. I could simply suspend the bag from my nose, where I could enjoy this moment throughout my day, but my husband might notice. He is also a chocolate lover and a connoisseur of Reese’s peanut butter cups. The absence of chocolate may well cause an emotional breakdown and a trip to the nearest hospital emergency department.

My love of chocolate began at the age of five at a local five and dime. Along the side wall furthest from the entrance, a gleaming silver counter trimmed in red with matching stools was the perfect spot for a small diner. I was a weekly customer while my father shopped for groceries at the Kroger’s next door. Armed with quarters, I could have as many chocolate cokes as I could consume during his thirty-minute absence. The more I drank, the more I talked. I am sure the waitresses were riveted by my constant chatter, especially after my third chocolate coke.

As an object of desire, chocolate is supposedly wickedly sinful. Why else would such a delightful substance be paired with an erotic bow and arrow-wielding winged infant lying in wait for any lost and lovelorn soul? Therefore, I shall pair my mocha coffee with almond milk, just to be safe.

When it comes to chocolate, the devil really is in the details. As it turns out, dark chocolate is a source of antioxidants. Is it a health food? Well, no, not quite. There are healthier foods to be had. But still, there is a place for dark chocolate, even a dark chocolate Reeses cup.

So, this Halloween, with or without dark chocolate, remember to live and enjoy the moments brought on this day. Moments are special. Each one only comes around one time.

Happy Halloween