Rituals
the brown teapot has come out of retirement.
A ritual feels sacred.
In times of slowness and patience it is important to have rituals to keep one going. I have had a lot of time on my hands and I have been doing a lot of waiting around, stuck in a purgatory of uncertainty. A pot of tea has become a real ritual in my daily routine at the moment whether it is savouring it all to myself or having friends round for tea to lift the spirits.
A pot of tea on a breakfast tray has kept me sane, it is a flexible measurement of time:
‘I will get out of bed once I have the last cup of tea from the pot’
‘I will make that important phone call but first: tea’
‘That was a hard task, my reward: a pot of tea’
The teapot in question is a classic ‘no frills’ large brown teapot fit for four people but I like to greedily drink the whole thing to myself in a bid to reach serenity and hydration.
There is something rather grounding about a pot of tea, it is not simply a mug of tea that you guzzle and dash off from. It is a something that you have to spend time with, it feels like a waste of time making a pot of tea simply just for one cup, it should be for enjoying at least two cups. A good amount of time, a good break from the world. A pause before the next task thunders through the calm.
I have lost count of the weeks I have been resting my injured hand and I am grateful that along this healing journey I have rediscovered the beauty of using a teapot. I have found solace in a teapot. The poor thing spends seasons on the shelf until those moments where it becomes a part of my daily routine.
The other joys teapots bring is time to savour tea with loved ones, tea to be shared but for now it has been keeping me company whilst I ‘rest my paw’ as my Dad says.
For now I will continue to drink pots of tea and play around on pinterest, romanticising the present and dreaming about the rest of the year ahead. I love making collages, I find it soothing whether it is with old magazines or on pinterest.
I hope this inspires you to dig out the teapot from the back of the cupboard and put it into use. I will be spending my Sunday morning in bed with a pot of tea reading all the substacks I save during the week.
I made this collage to remind me of everyday comforts and how I can rediscover more things I already own such as the brown teapot which keeps on giving.
What rituals get you through the damp end of winter?
Enjoyable things of the week:
Painting my nails
Organising a draw that has driven me insane
An impromptu mid week hot chocolate with a friend
Candles, candles, candles.
Roasting potatoes
Reading old magazines
Calling loved ones
Going to the library
Reading in bed
Playing Scarbble
Crisps: all crisps
Watching Eternity on Apple TV
Dragonfly Earl Grey Rooibos tea in the brown teapot of course!