Tea...
There is something about the pure herbal goodness that is so soothing. Particularly, when you are going through a stressful or a generally less-than-ideal time, brewing and pouring yourself a mug (or glass cup, like in the above image) feels like a most natural method of finding your calm center. Or if not your calm center, if the turmoils of life have been so grand or so unavoidable to your thoughts that it seems nearly impossible to find any sense of peace in the midst of them, tea can at least act as your 5-10 minute (or even 15) breather. As you wrap your hands around the cup and take in the light steam subtly infused with the sweet or tangy scent colored by the flavor you have chosen, you begin to forget for a minute what was taking place around you just moments ago, and you concentrate on the allure and the comfort of the beverage you hold like it were to take you to safety in the middle of the whirlwind storm. Or, if you're not in need of being rescued from the negatives you are going through, tea can help you emphasize the positives (which I hope win over your number of negatives disproportionately). For example, are you sitting by the window and watching the Sun come out, after what felt like an eternity of rain buckets? Make yourself your favorite mug of tea, whether it be earl grey (which I personally love to blend with 2% milk and honey), green, or oolong tea (my latest obsession; apparently its caffeine level is somewhere between black tea and green tea); then, sit by the window as you take in the lovely scenery, aaccompanied by the spontaneous, calming bird chirping that fits in the nature just as effortlessly as tea does in your day. Enjoy a cup of tea today! ~~MC
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Today is a lovely day in the midst of June, the gateway month to the irresistible next months that we call Summer...
But, I am wearing long pants, a thick t-shirt, and my GAP knit cardigan that I was so devoted to during the near-hypothermia, coffee-consumed months. On top of that, I am wearing a pair of slippers that are keeping my feet all warm and snug, as I'm sipping on hot peppermint tea from a mug. What is wrong with this picture? I care not to make any effort to answer this question, because I have been relishing those very acts of wearing such cozy clothing and being snuggled up in my humble warm abode (warm probably because I snuck to the thermostat when my parents weren't looking and turned up the heat just a bit) with my hands snuggled up around my mug. I guess this goes to show that whether it's June or December, you have the permission to dive yourself into a pillow-soft ensemble and take the time to be surrounded by all things you define as 'comfy.' Particularly during times where you would rather feel differently or just feel stressed out by things happening to or around you, I can guarantee you that doing this works wonders. Go ahead, try it. ~~MC On this lovely sunny day that surrounds us, I wish you to do one thing (besides enjoy the sunshine of course)...
And that is to indulge yourself with a warm cup of green tea. :) It probably doesn't make sense to have a warm drink in the middle of an 80 degree day (at least that's what the temperature is in Seattle right now), but a beverage that calms the mind and warms the soul is suitable no matter the weather that occurs outside your window. Yesterday, I sat on the balcony to type a blog post (in case you're curious, I was working on my latest Artistic Appetite post); it was in the late morning, so the Sun was still going about its daily greeting to the world as it was rising high up in the clear baby-blue sky. I felt that I needed some sort of fuel, something that would clear my senses in order to write my blog post in the best way I could...And so I ran back inside the house, poured in a waterfall of boiling water into a cup that was begging for some warmth, and dropped in a green tea bag (one of many that my dad brought from his last trip to Korea and Japan), letting the nature-hued green slowly fill in the entire cup. A cup of green tea is known to be healthy for the high metabolism it brings, and for stimulating the process of making your skin glow like the warm, blurry-golden hue of a candle flame on a late Summer night. But also, a cup of green tea gives a great sense of comfort to a person, like when he/she was tucked into bed every night by his/her mother during childhood, being safely enveloped in the cascading folds of the blanket and the mother's calming words, taking him/her to the world where nothing goes wrong and everything smiles. Who doesn't want to encompass this feeling? I guess this all explains why people love drinking tea in the wintertime (besides that tea is hot and so it's for escaping from the blistering cold..)--People love to snuggle up in the memories of when they felt the most safe and protected, as they take their warm sips of quiet heaven and watch the rain/snow fall in the outside world that fails to interrupt this personal, peaceful moment of theirs. And in this time of the year that is already surrounding us with warmth, there's no reason not to envelop yourself in the same comfort you felt when your mother tucked you in bed and wished you sweet dreams. :) Enjoy a cup of green tea, and the rest of your day! ~~MC 3/6/2011 0 Comments Water Comes to LifeYesterday, my dad came back from his gajillion-year-long (that's my super exaggerated way of saying "a month-long") business trip in Korea and Japan. He came to home-sweet-home, settled in with his bulgingly stuffed suitcase, and unzipped its front pocket, letting it pour out what I thought for a second was a pile of gold.
But actually, it was just a bunch of tea bags. :) But it felt like Christmas morning; not only because my dad was back after so long, but also because the tea bags got me so excited about the new kinds of tea I'll be drinking in the next few days...weeks...months... My dad brought back green tea, mint green tea, dandelion tea, chamomile tea, more green tea, red tea, and more green tea. I want to say that this blog talks simultaneously about two things to take into the "Life au Cochon" perspective...The joyful perception of enjoying the time with those you love, especially if you're seeing them for the first time after what felt like an eternity; and the perception that happiness can come in little packages, like tea bags. :D Since literally two seconds after my dad showed me the tea bags and boxes of other teas, I started trying them out, because I hadn't even heard of some of them before, which added even more to my excitement. One that really stood out was the dandelion tea...Even with the tiny amount of tea that was actually in the first tea bag I ravenously opened from the wrapped up box, the boiled water--which at first sat quietly in my mug--was all of a sudden taken over by a vibrant rush of deep amber-gold coming from the tea bag as it was steeping, giving the water life. And with that (extremely specific) observation, I decided I could use that one tea bag not for just one cup, but for two or even three cups total! Now that's a way of making the most of something. ;) When you have the time the rest of tonight, or if you want to make time (I personally like that choice better...), take yourself on a journey with a cup of tea--no matter whether it's a journey to a memory, a distant past, to your achievements, or even to your dreams. And the sweet, savory smells (depending on what tea you're drinking...If you're thinking of green tea, I'd say that it's the total opposite of what my sister bluntly labels "grass" XD) of your steaming life of a drink will take you there. Good night, and enjoy a cup of tea (I feel like I need to say that in a British accent for some reason)! ~~MC |
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