Tea
Originally published at Lindsay Eland dot com. Please leave any comments there.
I chose a word for this year…or rather, I feel, the word chose me. I was thinking and contemplating on what mine could possibly be, when I felt a word tug at the hem of my shirt. Rest. I shrugged and nodded, saying, “Okay, that’s good, but wait, I’m not finished thinking about it. I need to make sure. What if it’s something exciting like passion, or adventure, or possibility?”
But no other word tugged so hard or so persistently, and no other word seemed to lay gently around my shoulders.
Rest.
And so it makes sense that this week I’ve discovered tea.
This café-latte-girl-on-the-go found the delicateness and beauty and gentleness of tea.
Tea requires time.
Heating water to a bubbling boil.
Measuring the leaves.
Cooling the water slightly.
Steeping. The leaves, bits of flowers, and dried fruit swirling gently in the water
Removing the leaves.
Sipping.
You cannot force water to boil.
You cannot shorten the measurement.
You cannot hurry the steeping.
You cannot guzzle down the drink.
Tea cannot be rushed.
It requires time,
and paying attention,
and awareness
and rest.
Life should not be rushed.
The art of writing should not be hurried.
And rest does not mean that life is not enjoyed to the fullest.
Instead, paying attention, awareness, and rest allows you to fully enjoy life.