It’s been a busy end of the year; travel, travel, some more travel and then boom! Christmas! So let me wrap it up with a bit of tea.
The word ‘serendipity’ always rubs me the wrong way – possibly because of the sheer, undiluted horrors of that Cusack/Beckinsale romcom (2001?! I can’t believe it’s been that long.) But this past year – or, to be fair, these past two years, even – have been all about one thing – and that is the right people making the appearance in my life at exactly the right time. Over and over and over again. And my gratitude knows no bounds.
I have two quiet days (again, boundless gratitude) ahead of me – there are few things I loathe more than a New Year’s party. If I dare leave the house, it all turns into Peter’s Friends – no exceptions. I think I’m probably spoiled, raised at the one address in my home city from where all the most lavish fireworks could be seen – now it gets really old after the first three explosions, plus it scares everyone’s poor pets; what’s the point, really? I used to watch all the tipsy-to-smashed people crowd in my street and then my special new year’s treat was to bundle up with my window open – it was right above this little piazza with benches, and there was always some couple drunkenly, tearfully breaking up.
For over a decade, I started my new year off listening to people breaking up in sub-zero temperatures, dressed to the teeth.
Back to the other people, though – my people. My favorite person bought this tea for me in Tel Aviv, and we tried it late at night, sitting together in the dark. It was a peaceful, needful, well-timed trip. I would be a much lesser me without this love and this patience and this kindness and this loyalty – without this person traveling the world with me, drinking tea with me, sitting in the dark with me.
This I know.
(Please note I steered clear of the serendipi-tea pun throughout this tasting note. Award points accordingly. Thank you.)
Boiling, 1 min 30