Despite having many sessions of tea I would describe as good, I have realized that to a small extent I have lost quite a bit of my enjoyment in tea. I do not know if it is lack of excitement in exploring more and more new teas, but while I continue to drink tea and try new teas but they never really surprise me. Something rather worrisome had occurred to me recently though, is that while less and less surprise me now, my tea habit has almost become going through the motions.
Going through the motions, is a phrase that has always worried me, while I can see to a certain extent how it might make certain boring tasks easier to accomplish, when it comes to something I used to enjoy, or something I want to enjoy it is deeply problematic. So I wonder how many cups of tea did I drink when just going through the motions, what subtle nuances did I miss based on slight changes in the surroundings, and my mood.
So I realized I have been neglecting my study of Zen Buddhism, which while I was taking the course, and practicing occasionally I felt there was some good coming from it. Somehow quieting the mind, to focus on the world around, has already helped me start to re-appreciate several things, such as the other night, I meditated for 40 minutes, then went to start a tea. I picked up that cup pictured above, and turned it over in my hand, and looked at it from all angles. It made me happy, and I enjoyed the cup much more than I have in quite some time.
5 comments:
I myself went through the same thing. Last year I started getting into tea, and I dived right in. After a while though, I felt the enjoyment/excitement wearing off.
Now, I still drink tea, but only on occasion. I don't feel the same urge to drink it every day. I don't force myself to drink it. I wait for the tea to come to me, if you get my drift.
I hope you regain your enjoyment of tea. It truly is a wonderful thing. :3
-Fox
Yeah, it's easy to fall into that rut and forget why you drink the tea, then it becomes like eating a quick meal -- you do it because you need to, not because you want to, which is too bad...
It's fascinating how meditation enriches one's experience of just about anything; at least, I've found that to be the case. Tea is certainly no exception to this!
You may have a touch of winter doldrums. I have a whole drawerful of tea to try and I can't find one that excites me. Life is a series of ups and downs and we just need to learn to flow with them, learning what we can from each or just experiencing them.
Asiatic
-I hope you manage to regain your enjoyment of tea also. It truly is a great beverage.
Marshal
-Sadly I could say my joy of cooking also went away at the same time as my tea passion. But I think cooking has more to do with being exhausted and much less reward as I am often only cooking for myself.
Alex
-Yes Meditation is great, something about being still and emptying your mind of thoughts seems to open your eyes to the things around you in a whole new light.
Marlena
-Winter Doldrums can definitely be a part of my problem. As certain days I barely see the sun. While I always used to like snow it is getting quite old now, as it seems nearly every day we have at least a little bit of snow fall.
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