I just ate an Altoid hibernating for the past year in my briefcase. 

I know it was legit. It looked like an Altoid. Smelled like an Altoid. It had snuggled into a crack in the same compartment the Altoid tin calls home.

Definitely tasted like an Altoid.

My wife would have thrown it out. She’s okay with leftovers. But leftover unwrapped mints who have traveled across country numerous times since only-God-knows-when? No.

Unsurprisingly the Altoid retained its ‘curiously strong’ demeanor. Intense peppermint taste and aroma that makes me sneeze. Something about tickling the trigeminal nerve.

Altoids remind me of those divine wads of wisdom found in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. 

Not that Proverbs cause me to sneeze. But each time I pop one in my mouth I’m amazed at how ‘curiously strong’ it is.

Mints like “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” (12.1)

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” (11.25)

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (9.10)

And my eternally tasty favorite, “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.” (30.18,19)

Life consists of moving from point A to point B. In nature. In relationships. With God. 

Even when I understand the science of motion, the mystery of why and how draws me to an all-knowing Creator.

That hibernating Altoid tasted as fresh as the day it was born. Even more so the mints of Proverbs. Try a few today.