The glory of a cup of coffee or tea in the morning
Everyone has a morning ritual to start the day, whether you call it that or not. The first thing to do in the morning is what you have to do. Hopefully you have indoor plumbing. After that the most important thing for me is to have a few minutes of contemplation or meditation before enjoying a cup of tea.
It’s the water
Actually there is something more basic and more important – drinking water. I always drink at least an 8 oz glass of cool, room-temperature water first thing in the morning. There’s nothing more satisfying than drinking fresh, clean water to start the day. Every cell in your body is composed predominantly of water. Drinking water nourishes every part of your body, especially your brain. A language teacher friend of mine tells people who are having trouble memorizing vocabulary words to take a break and drink a couple of glasses of water. Wait a few minutes then study again. Amazing how the simple action of drinking water can clear up fuzzy thinking. It’s recommended that a person needs at least 6 or 8 glasses of water a day.
Tea and contemplation
One thing about living in the city is that there are a lot of options for your morning wake-up beverage. Several days a week I get up early and go to a local coffeehouse with my husband. Before I leave the house I spend a few minutes sitting quietly. I’ve had the good fortune to receive teachings from Tibetan lamas, so I call it meditation. Whatever you call it, it’s simply a time to rest and settle your mind for a few minutes before entering the fray of city life.
Even if you think you don’t do contemplation or meditation, chances are you already do this, or something similar. Perhaps not in the morning, but you might daydream or take a few minutes to reflection during the day. It is a little more powerful if you plan it and take a little time each morning. I sit cross-legged on the floor or in a chair with both feet flat on the floor. I keep my back straight, not rigid. You want to be comfortably upright. You can close your eyes to focus when you first sit down. Open your eyes after that. Let your breathing settling into it’s natural rhythm. Let your eyes gaze softly at whatever is in front of you, or out the window. Let your awareness expand to include all manner of sounds, sights and whatever is going on around you. If you use one, set your smart phone timer for 3 or 5 minutes. Just let whatever thoughts arise settle back into the flow of your mind. Gently bring your attention back if you find yourself distracted or caught up in a series of thoughts commenting upon thoughts. The definition of meditation is non-distraction. Relax with whatever comes up and keep letting go of thoughts and emotions that rise in your mind. Anything and everything you think or feel is fine, no judgment necessary. Just relax your mind. Let your mind be. These precious few minutes before launching into the activities of the day are always refreshing for me, even when my mind is jumping around like a puppy. Some inspiring thought almost always comes, along with all the other random thoughts.
After a little contemplation then it’s off to the local coffeehouse for a cup of tea and reading the morning news and talking with friends.
I envy those people who are coffee drinkers. One thing about living in the city is that you can get wonderful full bodied or fanciful coffee drinks. If you’re in transit to work, you can exchange a few kind words with the barista as you grab something to take to the office with you from the local coffee hut or corner coffee vendor. If you have leisure time you can enjoy the conversation and companionship of friends or sit by yourself and read in your local coffee house.
