The Mint Patch Monologue

Tag: life

  • Let’s have a Tea…

    Constant comment or hibiscus? I go between the two, or ginger when I need real warmth. If it’s after 9 o’clock, I go for chamomile. But having a tea is less about the tea, the point is transition. The time for tea is something felt, it beckons us, it keeps our place throughout the day like a bookmark. When we’ve finished the morning rituals, when the mind begins to wander, and just as the birds reach their midday slump, so do we. If you’re enjoying your read then pause, make yourself a cup of tea, and come back to the words, lets make this meeting official.

    My kitchen has a little room off to the side, too small to be called a dining room, but it’s where our vintage Hoosier Cabinet holds all of the Pyrex mixing bowls, and where we sit for meals. Our dinner table is perfect for 2 but unfolds for the occasional guests. Have a seat in my wooden fold-able funeral chair, it is a prized thrift find! Tell me how you’ve been doing, lets commence this perfect pause  together.

     Until you’re still, you’ll never hear the thoughts that count, the ones that remind you of how the sun looked streaming into your bedroom window that morning; you forget to wonder how someone might be doing, the ones you haven’t heard from in a while. To sit with a tea, to fiddle with linens on the table, to sip carefully, is a chance for your soul to speak up. Sometimes mine says to me, “go smell that rose bush before the frost gets ahold of it.” A to-do list that includes “smell the rose bush” is a happy list, not all tasks are daunting. A side quest could unfold, you might find yourself cutting a  backyard bouquet of zinnias for the neighbor, and then remembering someone’s birthday is just around the corner, you wind up immersed in one of those spiral church cookbooks reading cupcake recipes.  Time for a refill.

     Busy hands that need a rest can be satisfied as you smooth your fingers over the ceramic glaze, feeling for bumps of imperfection, evidence of something handmade, human-made. I think you can get to know certain mugs just like you come to know certain people. At first you are familiar with them, and then you learn that on your weakest days you can depend on their loyalty. Just like a steadfast friend, one you know where to always find.  And so really, to the non-tea drinkers, you’re not missing out on the tea, you’re missing out on the moment, the ritual that lends an ease to the occasional discomfort of existence. In my earlier years, the tea was a smoke on the back porch. Yes, tale as old as time, just a girl, sneaking a cigarette. What can I say but “sometimes we grow, we trade in old habits, we try to do better.” Aren’t our minds just begging for a break, a chance to have ideas? Most often we have simple realizations if given a chance to be curious, but when the moon is full and high we can experience wide revelations, be struck with genius, or know exactly what we need to say to that certain someone.  Take a few minutes to ponder a question you didn’t know you had, run it by a friend, and see where they take the thought, find out you are just alike or so different that you learn something.

    Give your mind the wings it deserves, tea doesn’t last forever and soon after you can go back to refreshing your feeds. At the bottom of the cup we find contentment, and life goes on. We have solved the world’s problems, given our souls a voice,  and  forged connection. Until our next cup of tea please take care of yourself.

    Thank you for reading, and as always.. drop me a line sometime,

    I DO love to chat!

    readnwrite11@gmail.com

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  • Late Blueberries, cupcakes, and Frankenstein

    I’m settling into the pace of October, finally. Picture me- arms outstretched, flat on my back under the peach tree, leaves slowly trickling down through the 3pm sunlight, nothing to do but eat blueberries and savor the season. That’s an altered truth, I have lots to do. The grass is cold, a nice contrast to the hot, illuminating sun. The fireball in the sky is such a mystery, how fortunate we are on planet Earth for its warmth, its light, and its perfect distance. An afternoon spent thinking about the universe is enough to occupy a busy mind. I imagine floating in space and feeling weightless, held gently in peaceful wisdom among ancient stardust; sounds delightful when the common noise of life gets too loud. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love reminds us that silent stillness is the true religion. How could anyone hear that guiding voice over the chaos and chatter of daily life? Are you familiar with this voice? The one that whispers, “You’re alright, keep trying.” The one that steadies you. Sometimes I hear it when I’m weaving through the trees on a woods trail, sometimes it rings me like bell when I’m least expecting it, reminding me to listen more often. I finished off the whole pint of blueberries, staring high into the sky while daydreaming of Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons. Our own moon, Luna, seems like it might be a nice place to visit. She is always watching us, her patterns are curious, and when I see her silver face among the blue sky in the afternoon I think… well hello there. She says to me “don’t forget, we are all stardust, and you are on a planet speeding though outer space- no need to sweat the small things.” She certainly brings to mind the big picture, the miracle that we are alive, and suggests simple pleasures like eating all of the blueberries and sometimes chocolate cupcakes too!

    A birthday calls for a homemade treat, and this month our nephew celebrated his 23rd lap around the sun. There is no such thing as making the right amount of cupcakes, and Chris followed that rule this week, too many is just enough. The other rules: butter instead of oil, milk instead of water, and always add an extra egg. He is a wizard at satisfying a sweet tooth, never skimps, always adds a thoughtful touch and takes his time to make things special. After the first frost of the season I’ll make my first request for his homemade hot chocolate; if there were a contest for best hot chocolate I would enter him in, with all my money down.  According to Chris there is only one way to eat a cupcake, you must first rip the cake in two and move the bottom half to the top, creating a cupcake sandwich. Smooth. I, on the other hand, prefer to make the big-bite-face, to risk icing up the nose… to make that mess. The universe says “don’t take life too seriously.”
     

    Onto my book of the month, a clever choice (or so I thought) Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Another classic from the list, intended to enhance my ability to enjoy the long unfolding of an intricate story. I’m  3 quarters of the way through and nearly  heartbroken. What I thought would be a spooky thriller turned out to be one of the saddest tales I’ve ever known. Shame on that Frankenstein for letting his selfish experiment outweigh his humanity. I’m hoping for a justified ending; anyone caught this Halloween dressed in a green mask with neck bolts might just get a mouthful from me on the harshness of isolation and judgement, bless that monster’s heart.

    “The wounded deer dragging its fainting limbs to some untrod-den brake, there to gaze upon the arrow which had pierced it, and to die- was but a type of me.”

    Humanity comes to mind as I reflect on the situation in this novel. The monster spent such time alone, in silent stillness that even a beast brought to life from madness without nurturing, without meaningful and mutual connection, still felt empathy and even wept for others’ misfortunes. None of us should ever take for granted a friendly ear, a neighborly gesture, or a warm invitation for conversation. And if you are missing those in your own life, I am here for you through this grand advance called the internet. I hope these posts keep you company during your harsh times and your cold nights, I hope you get a cupcake soon too. I do read my messages often, and will delightfully respond to you. Until next time, thank you for reading!

    Don’t forget to drop a line, I DO love to chat!

    justicesarah67@yahoo.com