Thursday Thoughts - Peppermint Obsessed

 "Aunt Jenn, why do you like mint so much?" -Anastasia

A bag that stays with me

So, I have always loved mint flavors.  My favorite growing up was spearmint, and I still do like that.  But I have really grown to love peppermint.  And wintergreen is okay too.  If it is minty, I love it.  To the point where if I see something that is new and it is mint, I have to try it!

This time of year is great for me because there IS SO MUCH MINT!  Like everywhere there is mint!  Mint M&M's, Minty Candy Canes, Peppermint Bark, Peppermint Mocha coffee flavoring, mint-scented candles, Twisted Peppermint from Bath & Bodyworks, and I could go on and on.  While everyone obsesses over the Pumpkin Spice, I want to fast forward through that time and get right to the Peppermint.

Anastasia, however, hates mint.  This came to light in a hilarious moment a few years ago when I was eating Mint M&M's.  She is very good at getting people to share with her, especially if it is a sweet treat.  So, I shared half a serving of my minty M&M's with her one night after dinner.  And you should have seen the face she was making as she was eating them.  I asked her, "Is everything okay?  Do you like them?"  She says, "Yeah..." while still making an awful face while eating them.  I say, "Are you sure?  You won't hurt my feelings if you don't like them."  Her response?  "No Aunt Jenn, I don't like them.  I don't think I like mint."  At the time she didn't know how to read, so if we didn't want her to bug us for something, we would tell her it was mint.  Package of cookies?  They are mint!  Candy?  It is minty!  She can read now so we can't do that.  But, she has also grown to like the smell of mint, but not really the taste.

But me?  I am a HUGE mint fan. I always have been and I am sure always will be.

However, it got me to think about why exactly I was a fan of mint, especially over the past couple years, of peppermint specifically.

Peppermint has a ton of uses and can be considered a remedy for many things.  Just do a Google search on "uses for peppermint" and you will find a lot.  For me, it helps a lot with my migraines...both making the pain slightly tolerable but more importantly, handling the nausea that comes with them.  It is also a soothing smell and relaxes me a bit when I am randomly nervous.  And, well, it just tastes good!

Mint just makes me happy.  And I don't know if that is a good enough answer for why I like mint so much.  But it is the answer that I have.