Tea

One of my favorite things in life is drinking tea. I actually have a cup cooling right now as I write this. 🙂 I love pouring the happy energetic water into my mug and watching as the color of the tea softly seeps out of the bag, strands of color twirling and widening to fill up the mug. I love watching the steam rise from mug, soft ghostly wisps gently waving and disappearing into the air.

I would always have a cup of tea with my breakfast before school when I was younger, and on cold mornings I would hold the warm mug tightly in my hands and bring my face very close to the surface of the tea to be bathed by the steam. I would stare at the beautiful golden color of my green tea and imagine myself shrinking and sinking into the tea, swimming in its warmth, my whole body immersed in comfort and its lovely scent.

As for the taste – I’ve never understood people who put sugar and/or milk in their tea, I find that those things diminish the natural taste of the tea. Black tea can be a bit bitter, and can sometimes benefit from a little bit of honey, but as I’ve grown older I’ve come to love the bitter taste more and more. And really, the bitter taste in Earl Grey tea isn’t that bitter, it’s more of an earthy and robust flavor.

It’s that flavor, mixed with intoxicating scent, and the warmth of the mug that makes me feel that everything will be okay when I drink my tea. I feel calm but focused, thoroughly enjoying the present moment. It is a kind of meditation for me. I love drinking my tea in the early mornings, outside on my deck looking at all the trees and green plants around me, imagining them waking up and bathing in the sunlight for a few moments before getting to work at photosynthesis. Or drinking my tea at night, when everything is quiet and the world drifts into a relaxed sleep and although I am still awake, I can feel the peace and stillness of my fellow living organisms.

I hope that everyone can find a bit of peace in their lives through tea. 🙂