Happiness in a glass of fruit

Would you have ever thought to look for happiness in a simple glass of chadèque juice? What if I told you that you should? How? Find out in the lines below.

We often speak of happiness in a mug of coffee. Yet, one Saturday morning in 2015, I was going to be pleasantly surprised. I found out that we’re surrounded by small bits of happiness.

That day, I discovered the joy that fills a glass of freshly squeezed chadèque juice.

After many days in hiding, our tropical sun had finally graced us with its presence in the mountains of Haiti. I had, thus, sat outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.  To better savor this pleasant day, I had also handpicked and squeezed some chadèque. I was not expecting the wonderful impact this simple act would have on my day.

The very first sip had brightened my morning even more than the sun had. I couldn’t help but smile as I savored that moment. I was drinking chadèque juice, my favorite at the time. For some reason, it tasted better than ever. It took me a few seconds to understand what had happened. The fruit had come from my own orchard. That in itself was enough to enhance its flavors. And no other juice could ever compete with it. With just a few sips, the world seemed better and much more pleasant. I had forgotten all about my life troubles.

Nothing brings more happiness than a glass of freshly squeezed fruit. My favorite is a citrus we call shaddock | tchakayiti.com

As I came to this realization, I couldn’t help but reminisce on other joyful moments I had experienced before.

I reflected back on the Saturday mornings I used to spend with nature just a few months before. At the time, my mom and I used to go for weekly walks in the hills of Fermathe. On our way back, I would venture in our garden, our lakou lakay as I like to call it, still humid from the morning dew. There, I would indulge in Mother Nature and its fruits that I often snapped in pictures before handpicking them for our family breakfast. You can see some of those pictures on our Instagram account.

Back then, just like it had happened with my glass of juice, I experienced pure joy.

That’s when I understood that  bits and pieces of joy surround us. Unfortunately, we often fail to find them. This only happens because we spend too much time dwelling on our daily life struggles. If only we looked hard enough, we would realize that is hidden in the simplest things, including a glass of freshly squeezed chadèque juice.

I first published this article on January 21, 2015. The 2019 update includes revisions of the English version and new pictures.

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4 Comments

  • Martine C. Mirambeau

    It’s a pleasure to read Tchaka ! is’nt it a pleasure to eat and drink from our own garden. Love it.
    Good job.

    • annick

      Thank you! Happy to have you among our readers 🙂

  • Martine Romain Megie

    Te lire est aussi delicieux qu’un verre de jus fraichement presse; sans omettre de mentionner a ta suite que le jus de chadeque est l’un de nos meilleurs.

    • annick

      Merciii 🙂

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