“The tea ritual: such a precise ritual of the same gestures and the same tastes; accession to simple, authentic and refined sensations; a license given to all, at little cost, to become aristocrats of taste, because tea is the beverage of the wealthy and the poor; the tea ritual, therefore has the extraordinary virtue of introducing into the absurdity of our lives an aperture of serene harmony. Yes, the world may aspire to vacuousness, lost souls mourn beauty, insignificance surrounds us. Then let us drink a cup of tea. Silence descends, one hears the wind outside, autumn leaves rustle and leaves take flight, the cat sleeps in a warm pool of light. And, with each swallow, time is sublimed.”
~ “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery
The ritual of tea – I just like the sound of that. I have a few tea rituals of my own. Tea to be shared with a friend ensuing in warm conversation. Tea on a cold winter afternoon, wrapped in a blanket with a good book. Tea when I’m sick, laced with soothing honey. Morning tea, first thing when I come downstairs, held in my lap as I watch the sunrise. Three o clock tea at a Dunkin Donuts as I check my email and take a break from shopping.
Time is sublimed in all my tea rituals, too. When I am with my tea, all that was pressing on my mind vaporizes, my thoughts quiet and hang in that space between the full cup and the last swallow.
Taking time for tea is a loving thing we can do for ourselves. Sometimes when we’re rendered powerless by life’s circumstances, all we can do is turn inward. There are times that no matter how hard we try, can’t do anything about anything. We can’t change our finances. We can’t make our children live the life we would like them to. We can’t change our employment situation. We can’t get other people to do what we want them to do. We are shackled, stuck. The only thing we can do is give it all to God, make our little cup of tea, and practice a little self-love.
Tea will always makes things better. Better enough that most of the time hope appears by the time we see the bottom of the cup. I’m not sure if it’s the warm liquid, or the time we take to slowly sip the liquid that performs this magic. The ritual of the tea reminds us of the importance of taking care of ourselves during troubled times.
And so, as another day goes by, I can’t wait for the Teavana store to open up in the Cape Cod Mall, and …I have written.
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