Tea House Muse

Erik is right. I'm surprised I had to be reminded of this but I guess hucking lobster with low brow broads for days on end will suck some of the good sense out of you. So thanks to Erik, I'm tapping back into the muse. Writing about tea and picturing my shop will keep my heart uplifted through aforementioned messy roomate, noisy room, social obligations, hot weather, waitressing, and general discouragement.

I looked and looked for some inspiring tea shop photos this morning. Erik, I really love the picture you found. Those tea house patrons are pointing at some birds flying while they sip their cuppa. I love it. I love you over the moon.

This photo of an old stone barn in Kansas from 1850 really loved me this morning. It's cozy, hearty, functional, solitary, peaceful and just the sort of place I would love to have 25 people to serve tea to in big comfortable chairs with all the windows open and a fire burning and not in Kansas. The mugs would be made of glass, the kettle of stainless steel (right mom?) and Bela Fleck's classical banjo album would be playing in the background. On a big wooden low table in front of the fire there would be a bowl of lemons, a jar of honey, a jug of milk, a jug of cream and a bowl of sugar for anyone to help themselves to. Wild flowers in little vases on the tables. Conversations billowing in and out of corners. And me in a flowered apron and a brown betty tea pot in hand.

Today, that's my inspiration. My vision.

I think that's pretty good. That feels pretty damn good.

I walked by a space on 5th Avenue in Brooklyn the other day and imagined throwing something together in there. I pictured one hundred glass jars full of loose tea of all kinds on one wall. Everything from Green and black and read and white to rose petals and kukicha and ginger and raspberry leaf and cinnamon sticks even. And all along the opposite wall just a low bar with chairs. And you know, if I really wanted that RIGHT NOW, I know I would do it. I would write a business plan tonight and have it ready to be taken to the bank by next month, I would get the loan, I would sign the lease, and I would be in business in time for the fucking holidays. So what's stopping me? What in the world is stopping me from trying to get that space today?!?! I guess we don't want to be in New York. I guess we want to be in New Zealand. Or San Francisco. I wish something more tangible would be appealing. It's hard to have things feel so far away, literally and figuratively.

But for today, this barn is doing me a lot of good. And the imagining part is really important in the Universe too. I will look forward to tomorrows inspiration.

Thanks Erik. Thank you for thinking of me and loving me the way you do.

I'm going to go brew a pot of 5 Seconds Tea from Kusum's little cottage on the Happy Valley Tea Estate in our messy kitchen swarming with flies to the constant sound of moving traffic and be happy thinking of you and tea and barns and dreams.