The Beauty of Ritual
With the recent rumblings of unrest and war in the middle east it can become easier and easier to draw lines in the sand. Marking each other as part of one side or another, and creating differences that otherwise might not be so present. But there are things that bind us all together that we forget about so easily. Rituals and traditions that we all share across borders, and even oceans...
To me a cup of tea is within itself, a small sanctuary. I always prepare it the same way, but it is never quite the same. The hot water soaking out the flavors and history of the tea leaves, crafting a beverage that is in many ways one of the most ubiquitous and simultaneously unique drinks on earth. I'm always careful to level out an exact spoonful of tea leaves. Always the same spoon. Always pouring the water in to my teapot slowly and steadily, raising the kettle up and then down with a flourish. Always the same pour. It is an escape. While the tea is steeping I could be thinking about problems and solutions, what needs to get done when and how. I could be, but I'm not. I am lost in ritual, my mind is both resting and tranquil, and focused on what I am doing in the moment. An escape.
To many of us our coffee and tea has become a ritual over time. An anchor of our day. Whether it is at 4pm, noon, or the rising of the sun we prepare our hot drinks in similar fashions day in and day out. The sound the buttons make on the machine, the whirring and purring, the soft patter of a fresh brew. All the smells and tastes of our cup is the culmination of our personal ritual. The same every day, yet always a little different. It brings us together across continents. Just imagine if it could bring us together across borders, across fences... across war zones. If the sanctuary of a shared cup of tea could show us what is the same in us, instead of fighting over self attributed differences.
We are people from all walks of life, all across the globe, connected with our love for coffee and tea. Through our rituals we bring a sense of peace and calm to our days, rooting them in a hot beverage experience. Lets never forget how similar we all are, the rituals we all share. The things we all love.
Peace, love, and happy sipping.
Logan Maxwell
To me a cup of tea is within itself, a small sanctuary. I always prepare it the same way, but it is never quite the same. The hot water soaking out the flavors and history of the tea leaves, crafting a beverage that is in many ways one of the most ubiquitous and simultaneously unique drinks on earth. I'm always careful to level out an exact spoonful of tea leaves. Always the same spoon. Always pouring the water in to my teapot slowly and steadily, raising the kettle up and then down with a flourish. Always the same pour. It is an escape. While the tea is steeping I could be thinking about problems and solutions, what needs to get done when and how. I could be, but I'm not. I am lost in ritual, my mind is both resting and tranquil, and focused on what I am doing in the moment. An escape.
To many of us our coffee and tea has become a ritual over time. An anchor of our day. Whether it is at 4pm, noon, or the rising of the sun we prepare our hot drinks in similar fashions day in and day out. The sound the buttons make on the machine, the whirring and purring, the soft patter of a fresh brew. All the smells and tastes of our cup is the culmination of our personal ritual. The same every day, yet always a little different. It brings us together across continents. Just imagine if it could bring us together across borders, across fences... across war zones. If the sanctuary of a shared cup of tea could show us what is the same in us, instead of fighting over self attributed differences.
We are people from all walks of life, all across the globe, connected with our love for coffee and tea. Through our rituals we bring a sense of peace and calm to our days, rooting them in a hot beverage experience. Lets never forget how similar we all are, the rituals we all share. The things we all love.
Peace, love, and happy sipping.
Logan Maxwell