And so I have returned to tea.
Tea was once a way of life. In 2005 I worked with a small tea company who paid me in goodly amounts of tea to keep a daily blog both about their teas and a philosophical approach to tea. At the same time, I began working with tea companies around the world who sent me tea samples and more and I finished a 150 page book. Then the tea company I was working with went out of business, they were to be my sponsor, and I had a book I could do nothing with. Their teas, which were the main teas written about, were proprietary blends that were no longer available. I was heartbroken.
At the same time I was a very serious student of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. My book was called Tea Mind, Be Kind. I loved it so much. But I would have had to gut the book to take out specific tea references and the task felt more than daunting. (Since those days a great many tea companies I had worked with, and many others, large and small, have gone out of business. The tea business is ephemeral. I’m talking about really good teas, loose leaf, not grocery store teabags which are fine but a whole different tea experience.) I have returned to it many times over the years and come away with the same feeling. But, as I recently returned to tea, I thought… Maybe I could do it?
Here is a small excerpt from the first chapter…
“Tea keeps you on your toes, and there is something else. I was thinking, as I began this piece, that the mind must be like a willow tree, blowing gently in the wind, branches supple, an open airy tree. Too often today minds become rigid, a thing is learned and once learned never changes, never bends, the mind shuts down and moves through the days and years as if by rote. We fall into comfort zones even when they are not healthy, even when we are not happy. Living in the moment we can’t help but be a weathervane for the current weather patterns in our bodies, lives, and the world around us. Staying open we are able to see new ways of doing things, new solutions, new possibilities. Being mindful, we are careful to do things that follow a certain natural order to have the best outcome. Every child comes into the world the same way: he or she is conceived, is carried for nine months, give or take, and is born when the body calls for it to be born. Each experience for the individual parents will vary, but there is essentially a certain course this process will follow and so it does. Making tea is the same way. It is a simple, organic procedure with few steps, and yet following those steps in the right order, being mindful of the needs of the specific tea, make all the difference in the world. It takes no time at all, and every moment counts…”
And in this moment I am moved to say that of everything I have written in my life I believe this work was one of the things I was most proud of, and I want to make a little book of it to share. It is perhaps part of my legacy. I don’t want it to be lost in the sands of time.
Today I made my favorite tea. I have and do love many kinds of teas, white, black, green, flavored teas, rooibos, matcha, chai, and more but my favorite tea hands down is Lapsang Souchong. It is a black Chinese tea with a smoky flavor. Here is a wonderful blog post about this tea from a tea company and it also talks about the many health benefits of drinking this tea. The post is called “A Magical Tea, Lapsang Souchong Tea.”
My return to tea was influenced by a recent wake up call. I will have been on the ketogenic diet for a year and a half on April 11, and I had lost 70 pounds to date. Then, after a terrible hurricane hit in September, and I had lost my beloved pug Tanner on April 6, I ran through a series of devastating events through the rest of the year. My beloved pug Delilah passed on November 1, two weeks later I was sent to the hospital for a blood clot from my groin to my ankle, and the day after Christmas I lost my beloved Pugsley pug. All 3 pugs in 1 year, and there was more. In response to all the heartbreak, and while I stayed keto, 2 things happened, I started eating way too much food (keto is good but calories count if you need to lose weight), and I started having a glass of red wine every night with dinner. Once in awhile I had a second glass. My low on keto (I had started at 333 punds) was about 262.4, almost 71 pounds. Less than 2 weeks ago I got up and weighed and was blown away — I knew I was gaining weight — but I weighed 278 pounds. On the scale at the doctor’s office that afternoon I weighed 280. I broke down and cried.
Because I knew I was gaining weight and it had to stop two days before the doctor’s appointment I vowed to give up wine completely until my birthday April 30, and then to only have it sparingly. I went my whole first year on keto with no wine at all. I could do this. I also moved to OMAD (One meal a day, though truth be told it kind of feels like 2 because in the morning I have my bulletproof coffee with a scoop of collagen powder added. But no solid food until dinner.) I also started drinking 3-24 ounce bottles of water every afternoon with electrolyte powder in it. The result? I lost 16.2 pounds the first week. Today I weighed 262.0, my lowest weight yet.
Drinking lots of water is really good but finally, when you’ve had nothing but water all afternoon it can start to feel like too much, so I started making tea, as I used to, each afternoon. I put no milk in my tea, just a tsp. of the monkfruit powder I put in my coffee. And as I boiled the water, measured out the loose leaves, and carefully whisked and timed the tea very precisely, watching “the agony of the leaves” as they swirled about in the brewer, I was taken back, in my mind, to 2005, to the time of trying many teas, reading many books on teas, and writing my book. A great, sweeping, romantic longing came over me. Tea Mind was born in me again, and so was this book, and here I am.
As I sat sipping my tea today I thought about something else. I used to have a page on my website called “Tea With Maitri” where I would invite people to join me for tea. Sadly that page is long gone but I had an idea.
I sorely need financial support and I have long been thinking about having a Patreon page for just this purpose. No one has to join, the blog will always be here for free, but with the art and writing I am doing, and I will have to self publish, and they are both long-term projects it finally came to me today what I could do on Patreon.
I could talk about writing and art, could offer gentle, loving kindness, do some videos and special posts, and, for people at one of the higher levels, have a live “Tea With Maitri” once a week (You could have coffee, tea, wine or whatever, a beverage of your choice, but there would be a live visit. I’d love to know what you all think about that, whether or not it would appeal?) I will be 65 next month and I need, finally, to get my work out into the world. This is a way I could do it.
For now, I will sip my Lapsang Souchong tea, and then, after this post is up, I’m going to start drawing and painting a new picture of Maisie and Daisy. My heart is overflowing. I am so full of love, and joy, and I have always created communities since I was in my 20’s. I love communicating with my followers and friends. Patreon would be a way for me to do this and make a little income to help me along. I’m thinking very seriously about this right now.
I am sending you love, and a warm, gentle hug. If you would like to write in here and tell me what your favorite teas are I would love to hear. Until then it’s time to sip and draw. It is a beautiful life, and I am celebrating each day…
I celebrate your return to Tea Mind, Be Kind. I remember very well when you were working on that book. Oh my dear, you have so many books! And this one definitely deserves (longs) to be resuscitated! It has so many layers — the whole zen mindfulness, the actual tea ceremony, the pause moment, not to mention the variety of flavors to savor. !!!
I am watching how so many tendrils of your life are forming a new configuration, a new heartbeat of so many of your cherished arts, repackaged, coming together effortlessly, well not exactly effortlessly, but with perfect timing.
alas, i am not much of a tea drinker. my mother adored Constant Comment tea, and always had a concentrate in her refrig she could add hot water to. I prefer the richer, more bitter, as it were, taste and texture of coffee, but i totally get the ritual part of tea mind.
Take your time, or as St. Milaropa said “Hasten slowly and you will soon reach your destination.” I am referring to your thought of doing a Patreon page. I understand where the desire, and value, lies. Just thinking about over-load, too much happening, your quiet way of living and working disrupted. I know it’s all about balance!
love and sunshine xo ka
Thank you so much dear Ka, yes, that was a very special time in my life. And mind, I love my coffee too, tea would not suffice at the beginning of the day, but I like them both. Tea is an afternoon thing for me, kind of my own little informal tea ceremony.
And I love the Milaropa quote. It’s perfect!
I have been thinking about and trying to configure a Patreon page for over a year and if I do it it will be a sharing of what I’m doing, not creating something new and different for Patreon except for having tea with me 2-4 times a month. And yes, it’s all about balance and I won’t do it unless I feel I can.
I love you honey. Thank you for always being here with me. It means so much…
M. xoxox
I love Katya’s comment — but I’m also basically a coffee person. For a way to get in more liquids (I HATE drinking water), I recently started having some delicious herbal teas in the afternoon, along with decaf coffee. Tea rituals seem like such a lovely thing.
Hi Lisa,
Well, as I said to Katya I am definitely a coffee person in the morning. I’m just sitting here having mine now. But tea is a lovely afternoon ritual for me. I put the kettle on low and then take Molly out for a good walk and give her her treat and then make the tea and when we come back into the studio there is something about sitting here with my tea, Molly snuggled in my lap, and it feels like that old saying, “God’s in His heaven and all’s right with the world.” I can have my tea and read or do any other soothing activity and it changes the whole tenor of the day. It really is a special time. And while I do have some herb teas if I’m sick or want tea in the evening, I prefer my Lapsang Souchong for the afternoon which is also a real pick me up… 🙂
Welcome back to the Tea Nation!
I love a good Lapsang Souchong. I think it’s the perfect Tea Mind example, steeped not too briefly, nor too long.
I also love Lady Gray tea: bergamot without the pepper taste that Earl Gray can have.
Chai Tea is my morning go-to, with some Stevia and a splash of coconut milk; Himself likes his tea British style, and has spoiled me.
Matcha Green Tea is the “it” tea at the moment, and I’ve tasted why. I also love a good Vanilla Rooibois. Finally, lemon ginger tea is good for sick days.
I could go on, but I think I’ll stop and pass the talking stick…or is it the talking teacup?
Ah Victoria, my sister in tea! 🙂
I love so many kinds of teas, I truly do, for different reasons and moods, but I always have Lapsang Souchong and it’s deep smoky flavor is unlike any kind of tea I’ve ever had. Next my favorites are the oolongs, a nice peach oolong is really lovely and of course my favorite it Ti Kuan Yin but it’s an expensive tea. And I have never cared for plain Earl Grey but love “Earl Grey de la Creme” with vanilla and lavender. To me that is a divine tea! And I have a few rooibos teas that I love. Those are the kind of teas I might have in the evening because of the caffeine before bed issue not being a good thing for me. And I swear by a Ginger Lemon tea when my tummy is off and recently got a turmeric ginger lemon tea but it’s in bags and when you are used to loose tea tea bags just taste like flavored water to me. I’m not a fan.
I loved hearing about the teas you like. Thanks for sharing!
I drink both coffee and tea, but not together, lol! My favorite tea is Darjeeling of any kind. I enjoy herbal teas and Constant Comment also. My coffee comes from Brazil that I special order from a friend of my husband who goes to a Japanese grocery shop in Brazil to get a few packets of it for me. The friend is ethnic Japanese but is Brazilian-born and bred. Memarge
Oh Marge what an exciting exotic story! Brazilian coffee FROM Brazil! I bet it’s wonderful.
I am definitely a coffee person in the morning and buy really good French Roast beans. I like strong dark coffee but I couldn’t drink it black! (Shudder!) And oh gracious, when I was a young mother I used to love to have Constant Comment tea, and Katya just mentioned it above, her mother loved it. That one brings back memories… 🙂
Darjeeling and Green Gunpowder here, fruit or herbal teas in the evenings. But I need my coffee to wake up, black. And just now doing my morning ritual: black coffee and look what Maitri wrote 🙂
And seconding what ka said: slowly…
Take good care of yourself, dear Maitri!
Sending love over the oceans
Silke
Good morning dear Silke and yes, I am definitely a coffee in the morning person but as I just said to Marge I cannot drink it black! I have honestly tried and I just can’t. And you tickled me all to pieces saying “And just now doing my morning ritual: black coffee and look what Maitri wrote…” He he he. I’m sitting here having my coffee now. But this afternoon — tea! 😀
Take care dear Silke, love to you and sweet Ben!
Hugs!
You Maitri are so talented and you should write and publish your work. You write so beautifully it is a joy to read your words. Just what you wrote about tea made go looking for Lapsang Souchong tea, and I have found and ordered as I just have to try it now. Thanks for the free book that you gave to us but I think you are doing a real disservice to all of us if you don’t write and publish more. I would for sure be a fan…..Love and Hugs….JIM
Thank you so much dear Jim, you are so kind. And I’m so excited that you got the Lapsang Souchong. It is truly a distinctive tea, there is nothing else like it in the world, and I love it. I hope you do too! Please let me know what you think. And love and hugs right back to you my darling friend… 🙂