On a facebook post, someone was asking if we would really want to give up tea ritual for a machine that basically does it all for you. Some mornings, I would love it if I walked in the kitchen and a perfectly prepared cup of tea was handed to me, all without any input from me. I would love a gizmo like Jean-Luc Picard had where I could just say "Earl Gray, hot" and there it would be. That's my morning person - a very slow starter, full of fog.
However, once past that, I enjoy tea ritual as it gives small pauses in the day. Selecting the tea, the cup, the water temperature. Then there is admiring the different scents and leaf configurations, seeing if this one shines or is muted, deciding whether or not to have milk in it, whether a small snack would compliment it. I love to watch the leaves unfurl, especially in a glass pot, where they sometimes dance up and down. I love to sniff the brewing tea and compare that aroma to the dry tea and wonder if I should let it brew a few more seconds. It is good for me to be focused on one small part of life. It is so easy for me to get scattered and this centering is welcome. My days feel cheated when it doesn't happen.
How about you? Are you more fond of the Jean Luc method or the ritual method?
2 comments:
Definitely on the ritual end of things! The ritual actually helps me clear away the morning fog. I also think that a tea ritual is especially beneficial in today's office culture. We're glued to our computers. Stretching our legs and making an intentional cup of tea is a great excuse for mindfulness and a breather, I think!
Haha! Love the Captain!
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