Though I cannot flee from the world of corruption, I can prepare tea with water from a mountain stream and put my heart to rest.
—-Ueda Akinari
tea
Sweet Nesting Thyme in the Kitchen
I’ve been taking care of life on life’s terms and doing small things that please me.
I found this sweet sugar bowl and tea plate that felt so right that I didn’t pass it up. The little plastic bowl thing that I was using is still functional, though the plastic bothers me. It has served me well for twenty years! I think that I paid $5 for a set of six nesting canister bins all those years ago. The bowl and plate were interesting and made me smile. They add a dainty feeling to the consideration of each cup of tea. The lid has a different and very satisfactory clink than the tinkle of placing a sugar spoon across the plate. I found a teeny-tiny stained up and ancient Revere-ware pot so that I might sing to my water and feel it roiling forth from the bottom of the pan, reminding me to allow grounding energy to do the same from the bottoms of my feet. In paying attention to these things, I have become more aware of the sound and the feeling of my morning bare feet crossing the floor–even slowing down to feel each small muscle movement of foot and of toe. The beautiful wicker mat under the tea things on the top of the microwave came at a negotiated price, as it was a broken lid that someone had hidden, rather than admit to breaking a store product. I offered a price for it et voila!!! Texture and tea mat for me.
I am also well pleased that the copper bottom of the pot came bright and clean with lemon, salt, and a light rub and that my total cost for Sweet Nesting was under $5!!! I enjoy watching the Thyme growing on the windowsill next to where I enjoy my tea. I think that I feel best when I am grounded, especially in the kitchen. Life, Change, and Creation exemplified.
Something to try, When you run out of Black Tea!
and you DO have a bit of Green, which isn’t quite the same if attempting to replace the Black soaking a Cinnamon stick
Tasting Tea and Stretching Wings in The Morning
Luxiuration and The Tea Party
Today the screaming and the howling of winter winds demands a way into the house. The wind chimes dance and sing in tinkling abandon, oblivious to the rage of the wind, unable to convert them, nor to distract them from their joy. Perfect union, not one without the other. Today warmth, the touch of soft clean sheets and gentle conforming heft of blankets round my body nestled in with cup and sip and swallow taste of glorious tea and books full of dross and treasure, married like the winds. Luxuria.
Stopping for a Red Flag Waving
Some would wish to call the events of my week, the week from Hell. At some parts of it, those were the shortest easiest words to allow to spring forth from my lips to explain what others must have seen on my physical body expression without me complaining nor saying a word to them. Sometimes I like to allow one person that I allow close to me to share what I perceive in a moment to be a burden that seems sooooo vast to me that I begin to laugh at it–which to outsiders appears hysterical or unbalanced. It’s a nice relief seeing that response from others, and provides additional fodder to feed the laughing humor bits of me, and to allow a moment of down time for the rest to gain better perspective and a restart.
This week, two daughters back to college at separate colleges, mold and fire hazard issues in(of course) the dorm that is 4.5 hours away. Then she messaged me yesterday to say, “MY ROOMMATE HAS LIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!!!”
Daughter two, her experience so far was excellent–until…..
(wait for it, wait fooooooooor it)
she walked into her room and roommate went against contract and sprayed room full of febreeze setting off instant bad asthma attack and daughter had only two puffs of her inhaler. She rarely needs it so….
Accommodations meetings with son’s school, enrolled him into online public school, tried to withdraw him from original school and THEN after three years of this…offered excellent stress free accommodations. Dilemma he seems MUCH more engaged and happy doing the lessons online, in fact ‘ending’ learning time, to get quiet for me is an issue. But!! He wants to be able to have this at the old school–the one with the ‘fixed’ accommodations plan.
The body is fed up and has sore throat, the I’ve been beaten by a stick all over, and wheezy thing going on. I’m eating properly, adjusting breathing and health maintenance meds, and going to attempt to lie down and to rest. In order to do so, I’m calling it luxuriating. It may involve a small magazine splurge, including a trash one with surveys!!
I’m laughing now, as I assume that if any of you came to read, you might wish you had not, or you stopped long ago. However for me, this is/was life on life’s terms, I am calling a Stopping for a Red Flag Waving, so that I can keep doing the next right thing. 🙂
I found this neato slide thing on a slow down quotes search. It validates and justifies my luxuriation plot of the day.
Slowing Down…Wise Words To Ponder On
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Morning Trip (51)
“I am not at all interested in immortality, only in the taste of tea.
–From Lu Tong (also spelled as Lu Tung)”
“Lu Tong’s Seven Bowls of Tea 七碗诗 卢仝（唐. 790~835）
The first bowl moistens my lips and throat; 一碗喉吻潤，
The second bowl breaks my loneliness; 二碗破孤悶，
The third bowl searches my barren entrails but to find 三碗搜枯腸，
Therein some five thousand scrolls; 惟有文字五千卷，
The fourth bowl raises a slight perspiration 四碗發輕汗，
And all life’s inequities pass out through my pores; 平生不平事盡向毛孔散，
The fifth bowl purifies my flesh and bones; 五碗肌骨清，
The sixth bowl calls me to the immortals. 六碗通仙靈，
The seventh bowl could not be drunk, 七碗吃不得也，
only the breath of the cool wind raises in my sleeves. 唯覺兩腋習習清風生。
Where is Penglai Island, Yuchuanzi wishes to ride on this sweet breeze and go back. 蓬萊山﹐在何處，玉川子乘此清風欲歸去。
(Steven R. Jones 2008)”
Elisa's Spot 