Two for Tea

Sometimes I think I should have been born British. I don’t drink coffee. Not at all. But tea and me are fast friends, inseparable really. Oh, I know it is a one way relationship. I take great pleasure from a cup of tea, and the tea is more than willing to give me comfort. It is a give-take relationship; the tea does all the giving and I do all the taking. tea cups and rose by HeyZee My dad makes the best tea. I’ve tried making the same tea at my house and it is never the same. I’m not sure why. Maybe it is the ratio of tea to hot water, maybe the water itself. Regardless, the tea at my parents’ house always tastes better than at mine. Mom seems to think it’s because the tea there is made with love. I know my dad is spoiling me by making it . . . all I need do is call and say I am on my way over and he replies with “Okay, tea minus 20 minutes”. I arrive and as I’m walking up the staircase I can hear the distinctive sound of the teaspoon against the side of the teacup. On summer mornings, my mom and I will take our cups of tea out into the garden. We comment over this rose bush and that patch of radishes before making our way over to the raspberries. There we will stand and pick fresh raspberries from the vine, still moist with morning dew, and pop them in our mouths between sips of Decaffeinated Earl Grey. The cat will wander by and pause for a scratch behind his ear before moving on to more important things like searching of the ultimate sunbeam. Coffee seems so fast paced, so “rev-it-up”, while tea gives a feeling of tranquility and “relax-and-unwind”. Truthfully, I could go for a cup right now. Care to join me?