Although Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, only a handful of people understand its magnificence. It is not just the beverage but the whole process of making it.
The boiling water, murmuring, enticing, building up the anticipation. The quivering of the tea leaves as they embrace the hot water, resisting change yet bending to the irresistible force. The burst of aroma, clearing your mind of any thoughts or desires, gifting you a moment of clarity. The calming transition when the milk is added, the clearing of the ripples and the forming of a clear surface. And the finality of it all when it passes through you, flowing slowly, awakening you, soothing you, changing you.......
Love is a lot like tea.
The nervousness you feel when you try talking to her for the first time. The resistance you feel when you realize that you are falling for her. The clarity you feel when you look into her eyes and think about nothing but her, forgetting the worry of the future and letting go of the past. The unwinding of your soul as you take her into your arms. And the finality of it all when you know that she has become a part of you, awakening you, soothing you, changing you................. Love, my friends, is a lot like tea.
Ten years from now or fifteen years from now, I am going to be sitting in a chair on my porch, looking at the sunset. And while the sun slowly goes down the horizon, I will be thinking of all that could have been and of all that would never be. I will be sitting there thinking about the touch I would never feel and the kiss that I had never had; for the life I choose will not have room for a second glass of wine. I will be sitting there looking down at my hand, trying to imagine what it is like to hold another, trying to imagine how the warmth would feel. But it won't bother me. For I will lean back, close my eyes and say to myself " At least, I've got tea."