#but since my unreliable brain may never come up with the proper fic for this

[nebulein]

In addition to training facilities and workshop rooms, Jonathan Toews' recently expanded wellness compound includes a shiny new smoothie bar. The bestseller? Kale-mango-chia. All recipes have been developed by Toews himself and published in an ebook to recreate at home. The bar looks instagram-worthy, though and is well worth a trip. The juice cleanse is worth the squeeze is written in bold letters across the back of it, the pink neon sign lighting up with a nice, juicy lemon next to it. "Oh, that thing," Toews laughs, clearly embarrassed when we ask about what it means. It's an old joke, custom-made and gifted to Toews by a client, a pun on a mantra every one of Toews' clients knows by heart: the juice is worth the squeeze. At its surface, the saying sounds like Toews plucked it from a motivational poster pinned to the locker room of a high school gym. But for Toews, it runs deeper than that.

"I don't believe in the struggle mentality, the whole 'no pain no gain' kinda thinking, or 'nothing good ever comes easy'. That's such poisonous bullshit, excuse my French." -- Did we mention Toews actually speaks perfect French, courtesy of his francophone maman? We told you that man is hot. Anyways -- "If we put out good into the world, it comes back to us, and life doesn't have to be an endless struggle to be worthwhile." But that doesn't mean Toews believes in giving up easy. Instead, for him the saying symbolizes that you should always keep sight of your goals. "If you remember what you're trying to accomplish and why you want that, doing what's necessary to get there immediately becomes easier." So if life hands Toews lemons, squeeze some lemonade? But Toews isn't as goody two shoes as that. "Yeah, maybe. Or break out the Tequila," he adds with a laugh.

And if life hands you a neon sign? Open a juice bar.

#i may or may not be working on something #but since my unreliable brain may never come up with the proper fic for this #have some snippet #the juice cleanse is worth the squeeze #zen sex guru jonny verse #neb writes #jonathan toews #this is my river in egypt i live here now come on in the water's fine #hockey baby