Stillness 8-23: I am in a tea-drinking phase just now, having just finished reading Henrietta Lovell’s wonderful adventures in tea in her book called Infused. I savor each cup with far greater appreciation than I have in the past. The more I watch the fragrant and magical-seeming tea leaves flower and expand in my teapot, and then infuse them again for another cup, and then a third, I realize how the secret to pouring ourselves into our friendships, creative endeavors, and daily life is to infuse ourselves with plenty of whatever we pour out.
When we see a waterfall surging from the top of a mountain, we wonder where all that water comes from and why it never dries up. Imagine the depths of its rocky origins and the pressure and push to reach its mossy outlet so it can spring out and spill over. That is what we do, too, all the time, in our effort to bubble up and pour ourselves into the world.
But we need constant replenishment and moisture. We need to infuse ourselves with rest, or joy, or appreciation. Be like a tea leaf or a waterfall and then when you pour yourself into the world you won’t exhaust yourself. When you infuse yourself with gratitude and wonder, life itself keeps renewing, expanding, and pouring.