I choose to diffuse the topic for Thanksday this cycle. After all, gratitude is all about being thankful for everything that you do have, so I will steep that idea for a greater degree of flexibilitea this time. I am thankful for tea. It is an easy pleasure that I can look forward to enjoying each and every day. Therefore, I have a significant amount of grateatude for tea.
Something as simple and ordinary as drinking a cup of tea can bring us great joy and help us feel our connection to the Earth … Drinking a cup of tea is a pleasure we can give ourselves every day.
-Thích Nhất Hanh
Tea has been made available to us in so many healthy and beneficial ways. There are caffeinated varieteas as well as caffeine free types. The ranges of caffeine in tea even varies, so I can choose what I want to drink based on what I think I need for a particular day – green teas for lighter days and black teas for heavier days. Prettea neat, right? :)
Tea is available in many different colors and blends, too. Within one tea bag, you may discover a dozen types of flowers and herbs. Then, if you mix and match combinations of different teas per brew, the complexity of possibilities further expands and multeaplies.
The benefits or purposes behind different teas run quite the gamut as well. Do you want to give your immune system a boost? Well, there are teas for that! Do you want to work on your digestive or respiratory health? Different teas can help you with those needs! Are you feeling overwhelmed or stressed lately? You are probably beginning to understand; some strains of tea will help calm you down or get you ready for a restful night of sleep.
You can enjoy the smells of the aroma as well as the warmth or coolness of the tea’s temperature. Watching the tea work its magic can even provide its own level and avenue of delight if you are willing to take the time to soak in the experience. I often make it a game of swirling the brew around. Allow your senses to be immersed in the moment.
Eight ounces or one cup of tea is also less than I usually expect. Therefore, I often drink probably ten to twelve ounces of fluids for each mug of tea that I brew. That consumption helps me maintain healthy daily hydration levels which is yet another aspect of my life for me to be grateful for. When you start practicing gratitude, it becomes hard to stop. What another great trait to be grateful for, right? Besides, why stop increasing your gratitude?
Self-reflection is a much kinder teacher than regret is.
-Andrena Sawyer
You can teach yourself each day. Gratitude does not grow overnight. It benefits best from a concerted effort to shift your focus to the positive parts. As you fill your life with more recognition of what all you are truly grateful for, you can also visualize the act with a gratitude jar if that is your figurative cup of tea. Diligently write down at least one of your gratitudes daily and deposit it inside the jar. Delight in the development of endearing details defining your dedicated devotions. If you feel dour, draw upon them as desired.
How sweet is your life right now? Is it too sour because you steep and stew too much? Can you soften your tone as you sip on some tea? I hope you choose to begin practicing and appreciating gratitude. My life is much better now thanks to gratitude, and I know it can do the same for anyone else willing to attempt this art. What have you got to lose?
You either get bitter or you get better. It’s that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down.
The choice does not belong to fate;
the choice belongs to you.
-Josh Shipp
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Tea time will tell.