The semester’s getting hard, and time to unwind keeps getting put on the backburner. Break’s coming up, which I’m grateful for, but even that will be filled with working and getting caught up on schoolwork.
To try and find some sort of relief in my day, I’ve been trying to drink something fun every day. If I’m tired that morning, I’ll make a latte. If I get out of law and need something sweet to get the taste of a confusing case out of my mouth, I make a pistachio latte (take that, Starbucks).
One of my favorites for a really emotional day is a cup of black tea with some cream and sugar.
The warmth, flavor, and smell all bring me back to being a little kid. Suddenly, I go from being on the brink of tears because a class is too hard or someone said something just a little too mean, and I’m back in my grandma’s house. One of her teapots on a TV tray with one of two teacups (I absolutely had favorites), her grandmother’s old sugar and milk containers joining the mix.
I’d always put a disgusting amount of sugar into mine, enough that there was a little layer at the bottom. Grandma, a diabetic, would also make sure I had a cookie. No wonder I now have a sweet tooth.
These memories are bittersweet now, but I can still find comfort in them. If it can get me through a hard day, I’ll take it. I didn’t realize just how much these tea parties meant to me until her funeral, which was a tough pill to swallow.
My now brother-in-law did a coffee run, and he brought my sister back a steeped tea double-double. I stole a sip, and it tasted just like I remembered having with my grandma.
So, on days when I could really use a chat with her, I make a cup of tea just like that. Grief can be funny that way, making a cup of tea so significant.
Most days, though, I drink a cup of tea for fun or to sleep, or even digest. I have a lot of stomach issues, but a warm cup of turmeric and ginger tea helps! Not as much as my medication, but I take what I can get.
Be warned: drinking too much tea can get you disqualified for donating blood to the American Red Cross, which I found out a couple of weeks ago.
Whether it’s tea in any of its flavors, a latte, lemonade, or hot chocolate, I love a fun drink. Or a three-in-the-morning glass of cold water. The difference in flavor and temperature is fun, and a weird form of comfort in an otherwise busy day. Finding these little ways of grounding myself throughout the day has made me less stressed, even if the stressors haven’t gone away.