The Tao of Tea

I am new to the drinking of tea.

Growing up, my parents did not serve hot beverages to their children (I'm fairly sure we weren't worth the cost of the gas to warm the water!) other than the occasional hot chocolate (read: nasty, brown, water!) in a styrofoam cup at the local high school football game. When I was 18 or so, I took a job framing homes . . . in January! (Don't ask!) It was un-frikkin-believably cold. I'm fairly sure the average temps for that year were around . . . negative infinity! I spent my morning chiseling ice off of boards that were frozen together so we could work. The only salvation for my cramped, cracked, screaming-in-agony hands was the arrival of the lunch wagon at 10:00 am each morning. As the new guy, it was my job to get coffee, rolls, etc. for all the rest of the crew. Now, I never intended to start drinking coffee (I thought it tasted vile at the time!) but it was the only thing the lunch wagon had that was HOT!!!! I'd get a cup every morning, just to hold it in my hands so I might feel my fingers again. After a few days I realized it would help warm up everything if I actually drank it. Soon after I was a solid coffee addict. For the last twenty years I was noted for walking about with an insulated mug that held an entire pot of coffee (and kept it warm for 6+ hours too!). I was a coffee guy, with no desire for the tasting of prissy things such as tea! Men - REAL men- drink coffee! We drink it strong, black, and steaming, by the bucket full!

Until we drastically change our lifestyles and eating habits, that is. One of the things I found was that many of the medical issues I was having were directly related to the amount of coffee I drank. (Duh!) So, along with the vegetarian thing I gave up all the coffee. (Oh, and it HURT! Caffeine withdrawal is an uuuuugggggglllllyyyyyy thing!) Which brings me (finally!) back to my original point . . .

I'm new to the drinking of tea.

It's a whole new experience for me. You see, tea is calming. Tea is relaxing and settling. Tea is sort of like a massage in a cup. When you're done with a cup of tea, you let out a satisfied sigh and stretch, a small smile on your face as you move back to work. This is the exact opposite of what I'm used to. Coffee (at least the way I make it!) is like jet fuel. It ignites in your system, peels your eyelids back, and launches you into the day like someone had shoved an Acme Rocket up your ass and lit the fuse! Of course, the after effects of the coffee are similar to any use of Acme products you've seen in a Roadrunner cartoon . . .

I'm thinking I like this tea thing. It's . . . civilized! Guess the Brits do still have a few things to teach their American cousins, eh?

Actually, I desperately needed the calming effects of my tea today. Last night's meeting did not go well at all and by trying to keep peace between two pissed off men, all I managed to do was get them both pissed off at me! (I feel like the frikkin' U.N. today!) Both felt that I didn't support their stance the way I should have, so neither is pleased with me at the moment. Ah well, it's not devestating I guess. They'll both get past it but I still think I did right, trying to get them to let go of their anger and focus on solving the issue itself. (Can't we all just get along?) The meeting (which was supposed to be one hour) lasted FOUR hours last night so I got no writing done. I came home and collapsed on the couch; spent from dealing with the most uncomfortable meeting in history!

See! Now I need another cup of tea! (Go to a happy place, Jim! Got to a happy place . . .)

Later!