A Cup of Tea – the Perfect Fix for What Ails You

From an early age, I learned that tea was meant for wellness. We drank herbal teas to soothe the stomach, calm the nerves, or to give us energy. If there was an ailment, my mother would find a remedy via tea.

While still in bed following a bout with flu, she’d bring me tea and toast. After barfing in the toilet or a bedside bucket, it was heavenly!  The buttery homemade toast tasted scrumptious dunked in tea. She tried to slow me down as I gulped and chewed, but I felt on the brink of starvation. 

I wanted more, but she made me wait to see if I could hold it down. While I rested, my imagination exploded with pictures of my favorite foods, things a sick stomach would never tolerate like watermelon, summer corn, hot dogs, peaches and ice cream. When my tea finally came for  the second time, I knew I was "all better."

Mom not only loved tea, she loved the cups. She collected fragile china cups with floral designs and classic patterns. She displayed them in a glassed cupboard so that everyone could see them. When friends or relatives came to visit, she’d pull out the fancy cups and fill them to the brim with their favorite tea. If she knew ahead that they were coming, her baking would greet them with aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg.

I have always enjoyed watching the BBC on PBS. Tea is a staple in British comedies and reminds me of home. It’s a cure all for the ills that plague mankind and the answer to almost every problem.

At Christmas time our celebration would not be complete without reading: “A Cup of Christmas Tea” by Tom Hegg and illustrated by Warren Hanson. The story is about a man who drags his feet about seeing an old aunt during the holidays. She recently had a stroke and walks with a crutch. He dreads seeing her in this predicament. After reluctantly paying her a visit, it is he that is repaid with her gift of love and a “Cup of Christmas Tea.”

Everything seems right as rain over a good cup of tea. Its calming warmth cheers the heart and heals the mind. Even the tea bags can soothe swollen eyes after a good cry or shrink puffy eyes after a raucous night out. Moreover, people can paint with this stuff. Beautiful portraits and scenes come alive when painted with various strengths of tea. The result looks much like watercolor.

I once wrote a blog about painting with coffee which is essentially the same process. Most people use instant coffee because it is cheaper. The secret is to pour boiling water over the coffee to make various color strengths. The same holds true for tea. By pouring boiling water in several cups with tea bags you can create color tones depending on how much water you use to dilute the color.

I swore I’d try it, but I still haven’t gotten ‘round to it. I hope this inspires some of you to give it a try!

Painting with Tea

Time -- Illusive Thief that Sucks the Life Out of Life

Insett Kirke -- Norway

I’ve written about time before, or the lack thereof; how it gets away from us, pushes us, stresses us out, and strangles the life out of us. Recently, I experienced a different phenomenon. A time warp, perhaps, where time literally seemed to stand still.

I had several appointments that day and knew that planning was essential to pull it off. I got up early, allowing plenty of time for my toilette and the time it would take to travel to my first appointment. In the end, I had an hour to spare. I retrieved important e-mail and checked my blogs. Thirty minutes left, amazing.

Eager to arrive on time, I set the timer on the stove to be sure distractions wouldn’t delay my “best laid plans.” Then I read. I luxuriated on my leather sofa and read. Each time I looked at my wrist watch it seemed that time was holding back, just for me. The adage “a watched pot never boils” was true!

I was reminded that with God “one day is like a thousand years” from an eternal perspective. This brief experience had made me reflective. So this is what it’s like to have an eternity of time? Each moment becomes precious and fully lived without escaping into nothingness. I wanted this experience to last forever. I felt in control.

I read another two pages and then the timer went off with a loud bleating beep, beep, beep. My usual response when this happens is to call: “Coming Mother,” a hearkening back to my belligerent childhood and the rebelliousness of youth.

The rest of the day was pretty much swallowed up with errands and appointments, but I did notice that in between there were moments of supreme calm when I could snatch some reverie and soul searching. When you are “clock watching,” it’s amazing how many pages you can read in a few minutes, how many miles your mind can travel into imagination and escape to creative realms where seconds seem like hours.

Personality Sketch

Next time you feel like you don’t have time to study, to read or to paint, turn yourself into a clock watcher and see how it slows down your life. After all, time is a man made thing and we are eternal beings who balk at control and the pacing of our lives.

“Your sacred space is
where you can find yourself
again and again.” Joseph Campbell

Of course, planning ahead helps. So does organization. But in those “in between” moments you really are in control. What will you do with those found minutes and seconds? Will you waste them or discount them as being too little to late?

“One great thing about growing old
is that nothing
is going to lead to anything.
Everything is of the moment.” Joseph Campbell

We only have one life to live. Throw out negative thinking. Refuse its entrance into your brain. Dwell on what you can do right now, in this precious moment. Live!

Yesterday is already gone. Dismiss it from your mind, and move on. Tomorrow and its blessings or problems are unknown. Live in the moment. View your life as eternal and treat yourself with the utmost respect. We humans are as fragile as butterflies. We come and go in a whisper. Cherish each moment!

“To live in a sacred space
is to live in a symbolic environment
where spiritual life is possible,
where everything around you
speaks of exaltation of the spirit.” Joseph Campbell