Sip with Sentiment!

How long does it typically take you to drink your cup or glass of tea? While that range for me, personally, can be all over the board depending what I am doing, lately it has been between 15 to 20 minutes. Also, when I add the time to make the tea, the full process becomes about half an hour each morning. Previously, while making my tea, I may have the news or the newest Netflix episode playing in the background. I would be making a mental list of my tasks for the day. I would be worrying about what challenges would find themselves barreling towards me later that afternoon. I just would be so overcome with what was going on around me, or what "may be", that I found I oftentimes didn't get to even enjoy or appreciate, not only my tea, but so much else. I didn't like this and it made me make this face. 

It caused me to pause and think, how can I change this and make it better? To do so, I came up with a new routine for myself in making and enjoying my tea each morning, which I affectionately refer to as "Sipping with Sentiment". To engage in this process I start by putting my phone away, turning off any TV or electronics (aside from my electric tea kettle, of course :) ), and retrieving the ingredients and whatnot that I will need to make my tea that morning. After doing so, I make my tea according to the appropriate water temperature and steeping time, and when finished, I sit with myself quietly, either near a window or outside. With each sip that I take, I attach a purpose, intention, or sentiment. Some mornings I have chosen to use my "sips of sentiment" as a time to exercise gratitude. With each swallow of tea I would mentally note something that I am especially grateful for in that moment. As of late, that has been things like fried plantains, temperatures above 80, and the sound of waves in the morning, but I imagine my mornings of gratitude will look different upon returning home. Other mornings, I have chosen to use each sip to think of someone that I truly care for and send a bit of positive energy or a prayer their way for their upcoming day. If you found your ears to be ringing on a particular morning, this could have been me thinking of you! On even other days, I would use my especially sentimental sips to recall favorite or silly memories of mine. I would find myself grinning over the brim of my teacup and at times even letting out a little laugh.

 

I will admit, at first, this felt like a long and tumultuous process each morning. I would sometimes look into my cup and try to guess how many sips I still had to go until I could get onto all the tasks I had set out for the day. But as I continued to practice this each morning, I found that I more and more looked forward to my sips of sentiment. They are my quiet moments in the morning, which allow me to pause, reflect, and set my mind up for a positive and successful day. It takes no longer than half an hour, and more often than not now, I feel like I am grasping onto those last few sips and trying to stretch them into an extra 3 or 4 more.

It has become a beautiful morning routine for me thus far, and incorporates one of my most favorite things, Good Life Tea. I wanted to share it with you all and hope that you get a chance to give it a try yourself! If you feel like you don't have the time in the morning, perhaps think of integrating this into your drive to work. Instead of listening to the radio, sip your tea with a purpose attached to each gulp (Check out our Mennä travel mug to make this even easier!). Maybe instead, try this lovely little technique in the evenings instead. Reflect on the day you have just had and moments that made you smile throughout. Should you have any of your own tea practices that have brought you peace of mind, composure, and tranquility, please share them with us! We aim to create a tea community for you all which you can share what makes you happy involving tea. I hope that you all have a wonderful week! Happy "sipping with sentiment"! - Kaytea :)