Cancer, epilepsy, and World Chocolate Day...

I can understand why there would be a “Let’s Cure Cancer Day.”

Or a “World MS Treatment Day”

Or a “Let’s Beat The Shit out of Sicle Cell Anemia Day.”

Or a “World Epilepsy Day”

Or a million and one other “World or National Great Cause Days.”

It helps the World heal.

It brings folk together for a common good cause.

It gives folk a reason to dig deep into their pockets and fill the coffers of deserving charities all over the globe.

And people who are ill reap the rewards.

Well…some of them. Some of the time.

But yesterday was a day that completely passed me by.

I was probably too busy celebrating England getting to the Euro footy final to notice. For busy make that drunk.

The thing is…

Yesterday…bless its little cotton socks…was World Chocolate Day.

Yup…you heard right.

World Chocolate Day.

Now I’ll be the first to admit…I like the odd choccy bar of Fruit & Nut.

And I don’t mind fessing up to a hankering over a wee mouthful of luxury Belgian dark stuff. (Sorry about last night, lads) now and then.

But surely…SURELY…no chocolate on planet Earth is worth celebrating THAT much?

I mean…World Chocolate Day?

Come on guys (but probably mostly gals…and kids).

Give me a more deserving reason to put a note in my calendar, pleeeeeease.

Well…it might help us sleep better at night, I’ll give you that.

And yes…it can lower your blood pressure.

And okay…it can bring your stress levels down.

And it MIGHT…I say MIGHT…lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

And yes…it’s a powerful source of Antioxidants.

And it MAY…repeat MAY…protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

And JESUS…it COULD even improve brain function.

But somebody please tell me.

Apart from all those trifling, petty benefits…What have the Olmecs (ancient Mexicans) done for us lately?

What gave the ancient Mayans a good enough reason to call Chocolate the drink of the gods?

What gave my dear old granny the perfect excuse to expect some strange bloke to break into her home every Christmas, leave a box of chocolate-covered sweets on her bedside table, then bugger off without a trace?

I have a thought…

The Olmecs were a sneaky lot. (So were the Mayans, come to think of it).

Their leaders knew how to subjugate their people.

They knew what it took to make their common folk happy.

Chocolate!

And the more they had, the happier their people were.

And as the years (make that centuries) went on, the leaders realised they could make the population do anything they wanted.

As long as they fed them enough chocolate.

And it’s still going on today.

Only the wrappers have improved.

And the marketing has become more persuasive.

And instead of celebrating Local Chocolate Day…or National Chocolate Day…

Our present-day bright sparks have created World Chocolate Day.

And we poor fools believe that a Mars a day still helps us work, rest, and play.

An advertising slogan coined by famous former motor racing commentator Murray Walker, incidentally.

I wonder if any of his very ancient ancestors were Olmecs…or Mayans…

Hang on…has anyone seen my Wagon Wheel?

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The above is an extract from my as yet unpublished (and mostly unwritten) book Ad Interruptus.

Like its sisters Ad Lib, and Ad Infinitum (NOW AVAILABLE), it's about creativity, advertising, life, and lots of stuff in between.

You'll find Ad Infinitum, Ad Lib, and Ad Hoc on Amazon, along with my other books, Love & Coffee and Heaven Help Us. In print and ebook. Waiting for you.

And the wonderful thing about all three Ad books is… it doesn’t matter where you finish any chapter or episode.

Because it will always be pretty damned close to where you started it…

Ad Infinitum: https://amzn.to/3pof7Uq

Ad Lib: https://amzn.to/2kd4LKf.

Ad Hoc: https://amzn.to/2Nx8GL8

Love & Coffee: https://amzn.to/28IWaHq

Heaven Help Us: https://amzn.to/2nkQ1Jk

Grab a coffee, grab a chair, and grab a sneaky peek.

Then grab a copy...