There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea - Henry James
Okay, so maybe I don’t dedicate a full hour of my time to taking tea in the afternoon, but the half hour I manage to carve out is very agreeable. For me, drinking tea is a calming and soothing activity while also stimulating my mind. I can take two hours to finish one cup of tea as it sits beside me on a hotplate while I type out story after story (a slight exaggeration? I think yes), sipping between bursts of brilliant ideas. Well, maybe not brilliant ideas, I’d hate to take my exaggerations too far, but a flow of ideas at any rate.
I also enjoy a nice cup of tea in the middle of the afternoon or at the end of the evening. During both of those times, the tea (the same caffeinated black tea) is consumed for comfort rather than stimulating my mind. I’m a little fascinated at how the act of drinking tea can play different roles at different times, yet still be the very same tea in each instance.
I’m sure many “experts” and casual tea drinkers could go on about the numerous medicinal properties of several kinds of teas, but I’m not one of them. Tea is just tea to me; a simple, warm drink that is good for me as well as something that brings me comfort and at times (like when I see a Starbucks or Pete’s or any tea house or café!) joy. I also love iced tea, but I do not react to it in the same way. It’s simply a cold drink I enjoy the taste of. Hmmm, it seems I might be on to something. Could it be the warmth of the drink I’m being effected by rather than the content? I think maybe.
I believe it’s important, however, to find the things that comfort you. As long as those things are not harmful to ourselves or anyone else, they are necessary. So I encourage you to drink tea! Just kidding. But I do encourage you to find time in your days for activities that bring you comfort, especially in a world so full of things that do the opposite.
While there’s tea there’s hope - Sir Arthur Pinero