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Recently, after a long day at work, I came home in need of a simple luxury – a treat, if you will – because my mind was still racing, but I was exhausted. And before I knew it, the remedy for such a moment was sure at hand – a hot cup of tea.
As I opened my cupboard, I realized that one of the greatest simple luxuries was having a wide array of tea choices to select from. Just the simple scent lofting from the shelves made me smile, and I could immediately sense my stress floating away.
“Tea: A drink that relieves thirst and dissipates sorrow.”
I couldn’t agree more with this quote, and whether you are a coffee or a tea fan, to a have a shelf of quality selections that you have picked up along your travels is an opportunity to not only enjoy a moment of relaxation, but to revel in sweet nostalgia as well.
More importantly, it is the action of taking the time to slow down and savor what you are sipping that is in many ways something to strive to keep in your busy schedule. As the days pass by quickly and seemingly in a flash, the choice of sitting down, pausing and savoring the end to each day is a ritual that I richly enjoy.
Whether you ritual is something you partake in during the wee morning hours or the middle of the day, give yourself the permission to take time out for yourself. Your body and your mind will thank you.
Some of my favorite ways to enjoy my cup of tea in the evening:
Snuggled up in my favorite armchair with blanket at hand
A Leisurely Magazine Within Reach to Peruse Through
With Fresh Flowers Somewhere Nearby
And My Dogs By My Side
Out of curiosity, how do you enjoy ending your days? I’d love to hear.
I so adore the ceremony of tea drinking.
It soothes the senses in such a wonderfully effortlessly manner. Such feminine and elegant teacups above. XX
I simply adore tea!!I am not a coffee lover, so tea is the obvious choice for me (especially at home)! I like to try a variety of teas, but green tea has to be my favorite. Last year I had the pleasure to take my tea at the Langham hotel in London and it was so nice! In this post http://designedbyann.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/love-never-dies/ I have a couple of pictures of the delicacies they served with the tea!! I wish I could re-create something similar at home!
Anna
Lately I’ve been in a hot chocolate mood so thats been my way to relax in the evening but I usually find myself with a cup of tea relaxing in the evening, after taking a warm bath with organic lavender, marjoram and bay leaf essential oils. If i didn’t have that, I dont know what I’d do.
Caroline – such an evening sounds amazing. What a wonderful ritual. 🙂
DesignbyAnn – green tea tends to be my go to favorite during the day. It just seems to energize me. I completely agree. 🙂
Fashion, Art & other Fancies – such a lovely description of the benefits of simply sipping a lovely cup of tea. Thanks for stopping by! xo
I’m a hot coco/tea gal (coffee is a no, no). There is nothing more comforting than sitting on the couch, channel surfing or reading with a cup of warm tea….so soothing!
Tea is my drink of choice. There’s nothing better than settling down with a good book, or a magazine, or another tea drinker, at the end of a day.
Lovely post! I love tea so much that my blog is called ‘Green Tea’!
I have a tea shelf of my own, too. Here’s a photo from my old apartment. Since then, I’ve collected more teacups and of course, more tea: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greentea/859306429/
I also keep a fancy mug and various leaf teas at my desk at work to keep me focused and productive while on the clock.
Love this post! I have a cupboard full of all sorts of teas to suit my mood and I love buying and trying new ones.
I’m probably in the minority as I’m a tea drinker AND a coffee drinker. I drink coffee to the morning (1-2 cups) and later in the afternoon if I need a pick-me-up or just a soothing moment at home or at my desk at work, I’ll make myself a tea.
And a peppermint tea at bedtime is both soothing and helps with digestion! —Hope
I like reading in bed, with the curtains and windows wide open so I can see the moon over the water, with a cup of Fujian jasmine tea.
As a die hard coffee fanatic, I am slowly learing the beauty of sipping tea. Right now I am enjoying a cup of either Lemon ginger or Earl Grey w/milk and a little brown sugar. I love winding down the evening with my tea and some television.
However, the best part is that my daughter loves stirring my tea and sometimes, we have fabulous impromptu tea parties with her Beauty and The Beast tea set.
Sitting here drinking my morning cup of tea before dashing off to the bedroom to get ready for my day ….
I usually take an evening vinyasa class, putter around the house for a bit, then do my evening toilette in the bathroom, and slip into bed to read for a bit before turning off the light. It’s much harder, I’ve found, to fall asleep right away if I don’t decompress with a book for at least a few minutes. Currently reading “Life with Picasso,” by Francoise Gilot.
Very similar. A gray blanket, 2 gray cats, a warm fire + a glass of white wine is one of my favorite ways to unwind from the day. Hope you have a wonderful weekend Shannon! Loved the newsletter today!
xo Mary Jo