Sunday, February 14, 2010

And, with each swallow, time is sublimed.

Friday night the Mean Moms got together for dinner and therapy at our usual hangout, a Vietnamese Restaurant.  It was cold, and we all came from harried days.  The first one to arrive had ordered hot tea, and was quick to change the order to a pot when we arrived.  That simple cup of tea was the perfect transition from the clamor of the day into the great comfort of good friends.  Just that morning I had read this wonderful paragraph in “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery.

The tea ritual: such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes; accesion to simple, authentic and refined sensations, a license given to all, at little cost, to become aristocrats of taste, because tea is the beverage of the wealthy and of the poor; the tea ritual, therefore, has the extraordinary virtue of introducing into the absurdity of our lives an aperture of serene harmony.  Yes, the world may aspire to vacuousness, lost souls mourn beauty, insignificance surrounds us.  Then let us drink a cup of tea.  Silence descends, one hears the wind outside, autumn leaves rustle and take flight, the cat sleeps in a warm pool of light.  And with each swallow, time is sublimed.

My youngest savors a cup of tea every night just before bedtime, and is always kind enough to offer to fix me a cup.  I think I need to start enjoying the luxury of a cup of hot tea!

4 comments:

Queen of Fun said...

I read this while snuggling with my mug of morning tea. Bought a 4 cup coffee pot (for $14.00) at Walmart last week and I can pre set it to have my tea brewed at 7:00 am in the morning. Delight.

Allison said...

cups of hot tea are the best thing in winter! i love wrapping my hands around the the warmth and letting the steam envelop my face. a cup of tea with your kid before bedtime sounds like a great ritual.

donna said...

Sue, I'm way behind in reading my favorite blogs. Luv the thought of you and K enjoying tea together in the evening. That is your teapot collection in the photo, right??

donna

Sue said...

I'm taking some tea to the office today in hopes of carving out a mellow moment! We'll see.