Good morning, dear tea friends. I come to you today with a bit of a heavy heart as Sunday will mark the 4 year anniversary of the passing of our founder, Rob OBrien.
Rob opened Good Life Tea in 2013 and it has been growing, evolving, changing, and flourishing since. It has become an increasingly large part of my life and I am eternally grateful that Rob manifested it into existence.
For those of you who didn't get the pleasure to meet Rob, I will tell you that he was a man of few words, but his few words were always pertinent, well thought out, and inspiring. We honor this trait of his at the tea shop with what has come to be known as our "Words of Wisdom". When you purchase or receive any of our teas you will notice that in each bag is a small green slip of paper with a short, but important, quote on it. Each quote was something that Rob would say regularly or believed to be true and they are small reminders for us and our customers of the important things in life. Some of them include:
Let go of worry.
Take time to dream.
Be a loving person.
Find joy from within.
Kindness makes smiles.
Do a good deed.
Follow your bliss.
Speak the truth.
Be brave.
Be Yourself.
Make everyday count.
Plan ahead but live now.
You matter.
Everything changes.
Dare to dream big.
Worrying does nothing.
Enjoy your tea time.
Love one another.
These were the principles to which Rob wanted Good Life Tea to be built upon and it is how we continue to run it today. I reached out to a few of our loyal customers about their experiences with Rob and I will share a few of their responses here as they fully embody the person that he was.
"I loved Rob for his calming presence. Whenever I would enter the tea shop, I instantly felt accepted and at ease. He just had a wonderfully peaceful aura about him."
"When COVID started I was worried about coming out and didn't feel comfortable coming into the tea shop. Rob took it upon himself to hand deliver my tea. I make a special and specific blend and when I needed your tea, he didn't hesitate to bring it directly to me. In a time when I was scared and feeling lonely, he helped me to feel like there was an end in sight and reminded me that there are good people out there."
"Rob made me feel the same way that holding a warm cup of tea between my hands feels. He was a warm person to be around and made me feel safe and accepted."
"Whenever I would come into the tea shop and speak with Rob, I always was pleasantly pleased with whatever conversation transpired. It wasn't even always about tea. I so appreciated that he wasn't solely trying to sell to me and that he saw me as a person rather than just a customer."
"I loved Rob's commitment to bettering himself and those around him. He made continual efforts to make our tomorrow's better than our today."
I certainly can resonate with all of these descriptions of Rob and miss him dearly myself, especially in the store today. He was a wonderful man and has left a beautiful legacy with Good Life Tea. I believe that he would be proud of the work we have done to carry on the legacy of Good Life Tea since his passing and like to think his spirit lives on with us in the tea shop each day. Here's to you today, Rob. I'll be enjoying a cup of your favorite Kyoto Cherry Rose on Sunday morning in your honor and remembering your kindness to myself and so many. Happy sipping.
I love that Rob continued on with these little messages that we began in 2018 . Seeing how these words have helped heal others in times of need is warming my for my heart to witness. Grateful that you all are so touched by this. Thank you for posting those!
When I presented this idea to Rob, he absolutely loved the concept of incorporating mindfulness with tea. I remember how willing, accepting and excited he was about starting this up. He was always so encouraging and supportive. I will drink my tea today in honor of him….Thank you for the e-mail about this day and helping me travel back down the road of Good Life Tea once more many, many years later.
Below is a link for a blog that Rob wrote in 2018 about his beginning and journey with tea. A little piece of him still lives in the old blog posts as well! Read and sip on.
https://www.goodlifetea.com/blogs/news/my-tea-journey-the-formative-years-in-japan
I haven’t met any of you, nor did I ever Meet Rob. I have been drinking your tea and enjoying my “green messages” for 8 years now. I still open each bag and search out my little note. I have them placed at different places in my kitchen, and even beyond. On my tea stand is “Be kind and share your tea” Love it.
I never met Rob nor Susan nor any of you guys but I have been drinking your tea for years and my special message always comes at the exact right time and says the exact right thing. What a wonderful tribute to what sounds like a wonderful guy. And so handsome! And so young. 🥲 I am sorry for your loss and happy to witness this wonderful honoring of his legacy.
I opened a new packet one day to find “Forgive yourself” – which was EXACTLY the message I needed to hear at that point in time. That slip of paper is hung on my fridge as a constant reminder.
I have been inspired by Rob’s quotes, they seem to always be what I need that particular day. My daughter started looking forward to my tea openings as she also found them uplifting. It’s funny hearing did you order yet? I love our “words of the day” slip, as she calls them. They have helped bring us out of slumps, to be brave, given us inspiration and so many other things to reflect on while enjoying some amazing tea. Thank you Rob for realizing how a couple kind words can make such a huge impact on others. Your legacy lives on.