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A Cup of Tea

4 February 2009 109 views View Comments

I really love simple things. Walking the dog on a crisp and sunny day. Deep breaths. An afternoon nap. A piece of ripe fruit. A hug from someone I love. A hot bath. Reading a good book. Baking.

Over the past week, I’ve been helping my parents pack up the home they lived in for almost 25 years. It hasn’t been simple. Making decisions about what will matter to me in the next 5, 10, 15…30 years…is hard.

___Cup_of_Tea___
How do you put a price on the love seat in the den where my dad and I have taken countless naps over the years? What about the ugly old bookshelf that my mom bought in a garage sale when she was pregnant with me and held all of my favorite books like Good Night Moon and I Love You Forever? These things are not simple.

You know what is simple? A cup of tea. It’s amazing the comfort that can come from a bag of dried leaves in a steaming hot mug with honey and lemon. It soothes so many things at once — a sore throat, tense shoulders, a worried mind.

2_cup_of_teaAfter a week of selling and bargaining and giving things away, it made me remember that it’s the simple pleasures and the people in our life that make each day.

My cousin Ella once worked in a clothing shop in London. I saw her a couple months ago and she taught me how to make a proper cup of British tea. It’s made by pouring boiling water and milk into a cup containing one tea bag. The hot tea scalds the milk and makes the tea sweet without adding even a teaspoon of sugar. Delicious!

What is your favorite simple thing?

p.s. I hope you will forgive my long absence from the blog and promise to make it up to you with lots of new content soon.

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  • Jodi
    I had a layover at DFW yesterday and was THIS close to getting the Starbucks London Fog tea but instead got the Chai. It was 4 bucks for the small size (tall in Starbuckese) and too too sweet. So unnecessary! However, it was a nice treat and I used a gift card given to me by my boss so no guilt there.

    Thanks for commenting everyone! I love all of your simple things :-)
  • Anonymous
    I too have started to appreciate the warming, simple comfort of hot tea with milk. Apparently Starbucks has has also caught on to this concept and is now offering tea lattes - your tea of choice with half hot water, half steamed milk and flavored syrup(which, in my mind, artificially complicates a good thing). I happened upon these tea lattes as I was searching for a little comfort and caffeine during a layover in the DFW airport. So I decided to treat myself to the Starbucks London Fog tea latte made with Earl Grey, 2% milk and I subbed a little honey for the flavored syrups. Despite my sticker shock at the $4 price tag, the tea latte was just the kind of warming, caffeinated comfort I needed, amidst the dreary, crowded, flourescent-lit, noisy airport environment. Upon returning home from my journey, I immediately purchased a box of Earl Grey tea to mix up my own London Fog tea lattes.

    Along those same lines my other favorite simple things include hot baths, a glass of red wine, hot chocolate made with milk - not water, and enjoying dinner on the deck on a mild, starry night. - Betsy
  • John
    Tea, chocolate and ciabatta are all wonderful simple comfort foods. Though personally I'm much more of a grilled cheese with velveeta on sourdough and lots of butter kind of guy. Tomato soup optional of course. MMMM.

    Oh yeah. And hugs and kisses. Like Adam said.
  • Mom
    A hot cup of tea with those people you love is what it is all about. Good conversation begins. You almost feel like a tea cosy is wrapped around you. I felt that way all week with Jodi being home. She is my cup of hot tea. What an incredible woman who I love and so proud to be her mother. Hugs!!
  • Adam
    A nice cup of tea does have a way of slowing you down and soothing you into a comfy submission. I love Asian teas and if you're looking to explore you can satisfy your craving for fine burned leaves at Turtle Dragon / Jade Leaves on the Drag. I haven't sat down for a relaxing cup at the tea shop, but they still sell teas by weight like they used to back in their days as a Chinese medicine practitioner on Burnet. Just ask at the counter to see the list... and get a whiff of a few before you choose.

    As for my favorite simple thing, I would say a good dark chocolate bar but I just saw a show on how chocolate is made from beans to bar and it's not at all simple. In lieu of that, I'll go with a nice warm fresh ciabatta with a moist, airy dough and a crispy crust dipped in rich, fruity extra virgin olive oil with salt and pepper.

    And hugs and kisses aren't bad either.
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