Actually, the title is what I feel that I need: health and good fortune. Since December 30th, I've been fighting with a cold. (Nothing more, thank goodness!) But this cold is lingering, and causing me congestion and tiredness. And though I'm not feeling too bad overall, it's a bit draining. I just need a bit of the good fortune of the new year to bring me some time of rest and a little dose of "getting the heck better".
But that's where the tea comes in. I love tea. Especially iced tea, since I'm not too keen on hot drinks. Also, I'm not a big fan of coffee (though occasionally I'll have an iced coffee [vanilla]). But if I do have hot tea, I prefer it to be Earl Grey. (Yes, like Captain Picard: "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.") But I absolutely love iced tea. (I'm drinking it now. [And still listening to my Christmas music! . . . Are you?!])
Iced tea is one of those "comforts" I have in my life. It not only reminds me of my childhood - especially those summers which never seemed to end! -, but also reminds me of family dinners and get-togethers . . . those times in life which are the happiest. I am reminded of the annual Fourth of July Picnics at my parents' house: fireworks in the alley with my cousins, going to and climbing the Mound in the park and going to get ice cream with Uncle Bill, sitting on the hill in the park with the family for the city's fireworks, and eating slice upon slice of watermelon, spitting the seeds into the garden below the back porch. (Because if you eat / swallow a watermelon seed, you'll have a watermelon growing inside of you!)
Yet, it's a comfort to me in those times that I have felt the most frustration and anxiety, especially in the seminary when studying for exams or staying up all night to write that paper that's due at 8:00 AM. It gives me that "calming effect" where I can sit back, take a breath, and take a fresh look at what it is that's giving me the anxiety at that moment. And in those moments, taking a step back to look at the big picture and re-look at what I've done is always a good thing.
Ben Franklin is quoted to have said that "Beer is the proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." I'm not disagreeing with Doctor Franklin, since I, too, enjoy a good beer very much. However, I think that the same could be said about tea, if I could paraphrase the statement. These little comforts - whether they be comfort food or comfort drink - are reminders to us that God did not create us to be completely uncomfortable in this world. Of course, He did not promise a life full of comforts either. And, of course, we should not over-indulge in these comforts. ("Moderation in everything!") But that's what these "comforts" are for: To take a moment to step back and recognize where God is and we are in those moments of joy and suffering, and to not become overwhelmed with life and all the highs and lows we go through while living.
It may seem silly to do an entire blog entry on the subject of tea, yet, I'm only human, and, on occasion, I need one of my "comforts" to make it through the day. For some people, it's coffee, and for others it's chocolate. For me, it's a good glass of iced tea. Because, for me, taking that moment to enjoy a sip of tea reminds me to stop, look at the big picture, where I am and God is in all of it, and to not become overwhelmed with everything. Especially in these moments when the frustrations of lack-of-health (a.k.a., a cold) and all the "bad fortune" that comes along with being sick, it's good for me - and for you - to take a moment to be reminded that it's best "just to be", and to know that we are to take comfort in the fact that it is and we are all in God's hands.
Iced tea just helps me remember that fact.
Enjoy the journey . . .
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