Moving Towards Normal

Hooray and Hooray and Hooray!  I had my 2 week post-op visit with my doctor and I can now be upright for 30 minutes of every hour!  Long enough to taste tea while actually drinking it from a cup.  I can also drive, but I have to be sensible.  I will try around our neighborhood before I go anywhere.  During the day, when all the kids are in school.  I even have some vision back, a bit odd around the edges, but to have it at all is wonderful.

I got to take a brief walk today and it smelled wonderful - that lovely toasty smell of dry leaves and earth.  I even saw some tiny blue wild asters.

I just finished my book Tea and Chinese Culture.  Ling Wang, the author covers a huge amount of ground. Of necessity, it is a mere skimming, but he has tried to get as much flavor in his book as possible.  Tea was/is used for so many things - respect, honor, spirituality, bride prices,  sealing of weddings, gifts, as well as everyday drinking.  Even in the everyday, tea was appreciated in a way it seldom is in this country.  This was a good introductery book.   It made me feel sad, however, as  we seem to have "thrown out the baby with the bath water" in our modern hurry and rush and pressured lives.  I am hoping to continue my study of China, it really fascinates me, especially as it relates to tea.  I am also resolving to take more time to appreciate tea, its accompaniments and other things in my life.