Tea Melodies

June 10th 2020

I drank the last sip of tea feeling blah. I was not sure why I sat near the window staring into nothing for a hundred minutes. I waited for the last piece of pakoda to make my tummy happy again. But instead, a tear dropped down my cheek and fell right into the cup. My playlist came to a halt and I only heard the clock ticking (tick-tock-tick-tock).

It is easy to be lost in thoughts when the whole world is taking a break. Re-living old memories became my favorite game.  It felt like a nice warm blanket on an ice-cold day. The tea cup beside me dried up. I assumed that the cup was thirsty. I put my hand outside to feel the rain drops and fill my cup. I dropped the tea cup, when I heard a sudden thud on the door. I went out to check and found a small package with a note. The smudgy letter said “to my little heart “I took the parcel and found old CDs in it. I closed the door and listened to those songs ignoring the people around me. It was the first time I slept calmly on an empty stomach. Music has a healing power like no medicine. It has helped me erase unpleasant thoughts and work with a smile.

Cool breeze, soothing music, a cozy place in a swing with a tea cup and book. I would work whole day for a moment like this. The first sip of tea is a magic potion that never fails to brighten my mood. Every day I observe the movement of tea leaves in hot water, the gradual change of decoction from orangish red to maroon, moist leaves in the strainer and the hot tea settling down in the cup. I feel that music and tea have a similarity. The used tea powder is thrown away, the same way, music and tea have the power to push away all unnecessary worries in life, fueling mind to face life.

Billy Joel once said “music is an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” This universal bond is a result of many varieties to suit different interests and different moods.

I will conclude by saying that it is hard to imagine life with same song on loop and same cup of tea and worse with the absence of both. Without variety, life becomes dull and boring. Eventually we might restrain to avoid monotony. I feel everything in life has a saturation level beyond which mind stops appreciating the true essence. I wonder if my most favorite song would be the last thing I want to hear. If my most favorite tea, would be the last thing I want to drink.