Tea for the Soul

Sometimes I watch myself slide into an old self, a too intense writer who feels driven to produce prose she will judge as worthy or valuable. My joy in writing simply evaporates as I succumb to her “shoulds.”

When that happens I've learned to take a break. My favorite way to do that is to brew myself a cup of Tippy Golden Darjeeling Earl Grey.

Ted and I found this exquisite blend at lunch one afternoon in Berlin at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski. We were so taken with the delicate flower flavor of Darjeeling blended with rare oil of bergamot orange that we ordered four more pots. We simply couldn't get enough of it.

Our waiter, thinking we may never leave our window table looking out on the Brandenberg Gate, brought us a handwritten address of a tea store where we could buy a supply to take home with us. He even made sure we had a taxi waiting. (Fortunately, I've since found an infinite supply on the Internet.)

After filling my favorite teacup, twice the size of a normal teacup, I set it next to my cozy reading chair. Always within reach are dog-eared copies of favorite books on living a life of beauty and grace. Thumbing through marked passages of these women writers, my mentors, I am reminded to allow myself to be drawn into writing what my soul longs to express.

Take a break and invite your soul to enjoy a cup of tea. It will flood with gratitude and you will once again feel steeped in the Divine.