Day 68: A glass of ruby-red refreshment

Today’s the first time in 68 days that I haven’t managed to get a Boost out in the morning… it’s been quite a week. Fortunately, the day has 24 hours.

One simple habit I’ve really gotten into this year is drinking unsweetened jamaica, which is iced hibiscus tea. As I’ve noted, I sometimes have a hard time getting myself to drink hot tea, but I could drink agua de jamaica all day. It can prevent hypertension; lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels; and even, so I’ve read, help address pain from menstrual cramps. Best of all, the

The reason it took me so long to become a jamaica converts that when you’re served this popular drink in a soda, or restaurant, it’s often heavily sweetened, and somehow the flavor just never appealed to me. But when my doctor told me to watch my blood pressure earlier this year and I first prepared the drink at home (just steeping dried hibiscus petals in hot water and then icing, as with any tea), I discovered that unsweetened version is delightfully tart, kind of like cranberry juice. I would imagine that you could make a delightful vodka-jamaica cocktail, but I am wandering off topic for Wellness Wednesday.

Plus, its deep red color is just gorgeous, like a jewel, and bright and festive at this time of year.

So on a day so stressful that you don’t write your morning Boost until 6 pm, try a glass of cold hibiscus tea and see if it unspools your knots the way it does mine.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter).