An artist friend of mine who never had a great deal of money always used to say that no matter what, he always made sure that his soap and tea were of the best quality that he could afford since they were among his few luxuries and would be used daily. I have never forgotten this sentiment since it struck a chord with my own measured, Capricornian (but not completely stoic) sensibilities.
A few Christmases ago, Frasier spoiled me by presenting me with loose-leaf Vanilla tea made with Assam tea leaves. The whole ritual and build-up to the tea drinking itself is an exotic event and the scent when the boiling water plummets through those leaves is ambrosial, amber, vanilla steamed heaven in a (porcelain) cup. I now find that it is the only tea that I really enjoy and will squinge in many other ways in order to purchase. (The tea is not being flown in by leer jet by the way, just a lot more expensive than my traditional Tetley’s. I am also haunted by a sneering tea sommelier who once told me in a special voice that tea bags were made from the sweepings off the floor and did I know that?)
It’s been almost two months to the day since I cleared out my desk and began my (super early) retirement. I have purposefully not shared this information here because it is has been such a churning and peculiar adjustment, full of highs and lows, more than a few bracing 3 am walks around the hardwood floors but mostly, because I fear being judged as old and irrelevant, there I said it.
Before and after the Easter holidays, I traditionally take a few days off to complete projects I have been meaning to return to (I’m looking at you, streamlined recipe binders) no longer flinging ragged sheets everywhere as I try to squeeze your gaping three rings closed with an arthritic crocodilian snap. But in-between bursts of energy like this, The General and I have shut the doors against the snow and wind and taken to wandering around with cups of scented tea and wedges of sticky Baklava, talking for hours about topics as diverse as Sidney Bechet, British trade unionists (to be fair, we were considering The Perfect Dog Name for a dog we do not have – yet) and soon to be perused Roberto Bolaño, the poet that Patty Smith mentions so often in M Train.
In short, it’s my idea of bliss.
Every fall, The General and I earnestly promise to attend one of the local agricultural fairs – and then somehow it doesn’t happen. Usually, I’ve had to work and then we forget or get absorbed in the minutiae that comes with keeping the house going. In other words, it hasn’t exactly been a priority.
But lately there has been so much sadness around us. The kind of sadness that presses down on you, making it hard to take a decent breath; it presents itself upon awakening, I can feel that tiny jungle drum in my heart, warning me that nothing in life is static or safe. I know this feeling well and I understand that it has been re-ignited by the passing of friends and family of friends, lately, by world news, giving “fresh hell” a whole new meaning. But in order to be happy now, right now, I can only focus on the everyday things that delight me. Obviously, we’ve all heard this before via Oprah, the Buddha himself or those dreadful Facebook memes but it’s still valid.
Which brings us full circle to the agricultural fair.