I love tea, and I love sharing tea with people. But, like many of us, I put obstacles in my own way sometimes: I often feel I need to “justify” my pursuit of happiness by turning it into something transactional. I guess that’s the water we swim in…
For many years, I tried to do something that was like a “tea business,” but I felt very burned-out by the aspects of it that were more business than tea. I was fortunate enough to realize that, and to be able to back off of it.
For me, tea isn’t transactional. It’s not about business. It’s not about busyness. It’s about presence, stillness, and relational joy.
This is my attempt (and my reminder to myself) to love tea, to love sharing it with people, and to know that is plenty.
Proper moments for drinking tea:
[…]
When the day is clear and the breeze is mild.
On a day of light showers.
In a painted boat near a small wooden bridge.
In a forest with tall bamboos.
In a pavilion overlooking lotus flowers on a summer day.
Having lighted incense in a small studio.
[…]
Excerpt from Ch’asu, by Hsü Ts’eshu, as translated by 林語堂 (Lín Yǔtáng) in his wonderful The Importance of Living, 1937.
(Apologies for the old-style — probably Wade-Giles? — transliterations; as yet, I’ve been unable to track down the original.)