Some of us have been asked, “Why do you drink tea?” and have actually had to take a moment to really wonder, if we could only name one thing, what is our reason for drinking tea.
For a moment, let us imagine it is to practice mindfulness. There is tremendous ritual behind some of the things we do, even the actual habits we sew into our daily routine that we eventually do unconsciously. The practice of mindfulness doesn’t necessarily teach us new tasks but it does teach us to be conscious of what we are doing, while we are doing it. Through this, we are able to enjoy the feeling of the soap and warm water on our hands rather than just thinking about how much we dislike washing the dishes.
With tea, let us also challenge ourselves to pay attention every now and again to how we are feeling and what we are doing. Feel your legs in the seat and your fingers at the edge of the hot cup, watch the steam rise, inhale the aroma of the tea, and look around your room and be thankful you have this time. Many people take smoke breaks at work not just because they are smoking, but because it is a special time to them, full of ritual and relaxation.
As we pay closer attention to the little things in our lives, we enjoy them more, and gratitude is such a healthy human emotion. I would say it is the healthiest of human emotions.
