I’ll admit it, I love tea. But can it really solve all my problems?
When I lived in America, I drank mostly herbal teas. They tasted nice and some of them claimed to have beneficial properties. But then I moved to England and found ‘real’ tea – powerful tea – and now I’m a convert.
I’ve even almost adopted the British philosophy that a nice cup of tea is the proper response to just about any situation. But it still makes me giggle when I see it on television: A woman in tears runs to her best friend with a terrible problem, and the response is always the same: “Sit down, dear. I’ll put the kettle on. You’ll feel better after a nice cup of tea.” Even though it makes me laugh, I’m beginning to think there might be something to it.
I wrote this poem as an ode to that miraculous drink called tea which has been known to diffuse daunting difficulties, soothe serious situations, and tame terrible troubles.
A Cup of Tea
When morning mishaps clearly show
How your entire day will be,
The one thing you must not forego,
Is your morning cup of tea.
When all your gusto’s up and gone
And bleary eyes can barely see,
To stifle that impending yawn,
Grab yourself a cup of tea.
Your darling pet has run away,
Oh where could little Angel be?
You must think clearly - don’t delay,
Quickly! Make a cup of tea.
When war breaks out on foreign soil,
It’s such a troubling sight to see,
But you can’t stop the world’s turmoil,
Have a calming cup of tea.
Whatever problems come your way,
I can almost guarantee,
Your troubles will just melt away
As you sip your cup of tea.
-Margo Lestz
As I said, I’m almost convinced of tea’s miraculous powers, but I still think some situations require tea and chocolate!
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I think that Jodi Taylor, the prolific author of the Chronicles of St Mary’s and other books would definitely agree about the problem solving qualities of tea. Her heroine, Dr Madeline Maxwell (not known as Mad Max for short) has a well worn three step process for dealing with the disasters that all too frequently visit themselves on her historical research projects carried out in contemporary time.
Her first step is usually to make tea. Then she sits down to have a bit of a think. Finally, she deals with the now.
Probably not much different from the unhurried tea rituals of the Far East designed to settle the mind, focus on the present and precipitate solutions to conflicts and problems.
Sounds like a good three-step plan to me. I hadn’t actually heard of this author. But I’ve had a look, and her books look interesting. I think I’ll add her to my reading list. Even on her website she says, “Look around while I put the kettle on.” Thanks for the recommendation. 🙂
Tea is a definite reviver, I have just had a mug to enable me to carry on my task for the day. In India once, exhausted by tramping miles, I swooped with joy upon a wayside chai stall, produced my own large cup and drank four lots, one after another, to the astonishment of the local customers sedately sipping their tiny cups. Then I felt able to tramp back to town.
Good thing that chai stall was there! 🙂 It seems that we can handle just about anything after a nice cuppa… 🙂
Just noticed my Jodi Taylor comment appeared as anonymous – probably not correctly logged in when I posted. I try to avoid commenting anonymously or behind a pseudonym, so just to confirm I was the author. J
Thank you, Jeremy. Nice to know.
I’ve done that myself a few times.
I love your poem Margo – beautifully describes the benefits of a cup of tea for any situation. However I was rather intrigued by the photo above it. I can see why the tea pourer had to place a hand under the tea pot, but she either has an asbestos hand or the tea in her pot is cold. Iced tea is very refreshing on a hot day, but that did not look like it!
Best wishes, Paula
Hi Paula,
That’s so funny, I hadn’t noticed it at all. It must have been a staged photo with a cold pot. Because you are right, she couldn’t hold a hot tea pot like that. Well spotted! 🙂
Hi Margo ~ I enjoyed your poem! I happen to also like tea–black teas, green teas and herbal teas. My latest tea addition is a Japanese Sencha tea which I enjoy each morning both for its taste and its health benefits.
Hi Paul. So you are a fellow tea lover too!
My favorite is Earl Grey which has bergamot in it, and there is a Countess Grey with orange that I like. I also drink herbal teas from time to time. I think there is a tea for every mood and occasion. 🙂