Behind these humorous words from Monty Python lie a hint of truth. What would our world be like if we did slow down and take up the practice of tea time? The image invites us to partake in this seemingly simple practice…two cups and two friends having tea together.
It’s more than just the tea. That’s only a vehicle for the coming together of friends in the spirit of connection and taking a pause in our day.
I love having a friend over for tea. Actually, I’m more of a coffee aficionado. I spark up the Pavoni and the kettle and get out the china cups. Our phones are closed and the Bistro is open. We sit and talk, laugh and share stories. The clock seems to stop and timelessness begins.
In the winter we sit at the table. In the summer, we sit in the garden. The tea can be hot on cold days and cool on warm days, but what matters is the union and the conversation. Together, we humanize the word ‘communion’.
A few years ago, I had a friend over for coffee and a visit. We sat at the table for two hours and talked about the stuff of life; kids, aging parents, home, meals, bikes, hobbies, work, play, joys and struggles. Which of course, opened the door to the deeper questions of life. To me, this was a normal occurrence, until at one point in the conversation, he put down his cup, looked me in the eye and said “I can’t remember the last time I sat down at a table like this and talked with a friend. My life is too full and busy, this is so healing. I want more of this. And then with a twinkle in his eye, he declared “the world needs more of this.”
My mother is now 95 years old and still lives in the house my father built in 1947. She lives in a small town with a population of around one thousand. There is no WIFI in the house. When I go there to visit, it’s kind of like going back in time. Life slows down and so do I. Neighbors drop in for a visit unannounced. No one schedules times to come over, they just come in and put the kettle on for tea. That is still a normal thing in her world.
But in our modern world, it seems radical.
I think about these Covid times, when humanity is asked to be on a Great Pause. I wonder if it is also an opportunity to slow down and re-discover simple ways to take a pause in daily life. Perhaps our tea time is solitary for now. I invite you to take this time to reflect on the essentials of life and create your own daily tea time practice. And when we all emerge from the Great Pause into outer activity, open up your tea shop and invite a friend over. Call it what you want- the bistro, the café, lotsa Matcha. Put the kettle on, leave the phones at the door, and create a sacred space for connection. No single clicks or pushing LIKE buttons. Time will stand still while two friends gather over two cups of tea. Wrap your hands around the cup and open the door to real live conversation.
Here’s to changing the world, two tea cups at a time.
Over the years in my work with helping parents simplify spaces in the home, one common question often comes up during the time just after Thanksgiving. “What about gifts?” they ask. “What do I do with all the gifts that are given to us by family and friends? How do I graciously tell my family that, while I appreciate their thoughtfulness in wanting to buy us something, we are trying to simplify our lives?” And the deeper question arises of “how do we teach these values of wanting to consume less to our children?”