Tea for the Pot

If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty. – Japanese Proverb

A common tea time ritual, when measuring out tea leaves to be steeped, is always some number of tablespoons to serve and one for the teapot. This is how a tea pot builds its character. Perhaps it’s one that has been handed down a generation, or few, when it will naturally be too characterful or a brand new shiny pot that is waiting for its infusion. And so life goes on. With a mix of inherited behavior and newer ones being created.

My first ever lesson in life comes from family. I am an only child, though the first millennial born of my (maternal) family. A second generation Bangalorean, this meant I did grow up with quite the finer things in life because it was the firm belief of my parents, and grandparents, that every generation of the family should be better off than the previous. This thought process seems a sensible one to me. A simple example here - Grandpa was born in a little town in southern Tamil Nadu and as an adult moved to Bangalore. My mum and dad were born in cities - Mum in Bangalore and Dad in Quillon - and lived in a cosmopolitan surrounding. When it came to the next set of us, it was only quite natural that we should be heading out to something bigger. My cousins and I have worked quite unconsciously towards.

For my part, because that is what I can speak to without seeming overly judgemental as is humanly wont, the past three decades have been extremely satisfying. The past seven years, in particular, have shaped my adult life and mind, and the previous several set the stage for it. Extremely characterful events did occur, some more traditionally inclined than the liberal mindset I am personally closer associated with.

The kettle has been filled, I await the boil and then shall I embark upon making this delicious beverage.

Life is a tea pot. You brew, steep, pour, mix and drink. Make it your own way.

No more tea analogies. Apart from the titles, maybe.