Every morning I start my day with a cup of tea. It’s a ritual, really. Grab the kettle. Fill it with fresh, cold water. Put it on the stove and let it boil until the kettle sings. Grab a mug. Place the tea bag in the mug. Pour the boiling water over the tea bag and let it steep. I let mine steep for about 3 minutes these days and I like a little sugar and milk to dress it up. Not cream. Not half-and-half. Not full fat milk. But 1% milk will do. Sometimes I drink it black with a bit of sugar, too.

Over the years I have collected several different mugs. I have my favorites and, for me, the right mug is as much a part of the ritual as is the right tea. I have small mugs, large mugs, china tea-cups, whimsical mugs with Santa’s reindeer painted on them, and generic mugs that came with a set of dishes.  You might not think there is a difference, from one mug to the next,  but in some, the tea just doesn’t taste right. Perhaps it’s because of the material of which the mug is crafted. I don’t know. I just know that in some mugs the tea is un-drinkable.

My most favorite mug for first thing in the morning is a large, oval, creamy colored mug with a couple of small red, white and blue firecrackers painted on two sides. A gift from my friend Maureen, I love this mug in the morning because it is larger than my other mugs and I need a big cup of tea to start my day. I have several other mugs, gifts from my friends who know of my love for tea, and each one is my most favorite. Each for a specific time of day or mood. My friend Dawn gave me a mug for my birthday a few years ago. It is also creamy colored with one of my favorite quotes stamped on it. “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” I like to use this one when I am feeling a bit sad or nostalgic. Holding this one, I’ll read the quote a few times, and somehow it always makes me feel better.

When I need a reminder to take a deep breath, I’ll grab the mug my friend Debby gave me, for no reason at all one year. It has a two-fold meaning. This sweet mug is white with the word “sereni-tea” stamped on the outside. But along the rim on the inside of the mug – which is glazed with my favorite color, an ocean green-blue – it has the definition of “sereni-tea” which states “n. the absence of stress while drinking tea.” The homonym serenity is an important buzz word for me and Deb knows that, so it was a perfect gift.  Every time I use this mug I think about the hours Debby and I spent drinking tea and chatting and sharing life. In those days, I barely dunked the tea bag in a mug of hot water, poured milk in it, then dumped two spoonsful of sugar into the mixture. What a ghastly way to drink tea.

I purchased a couple of mugs for myself, recently, because I liked the sentiments they expressed. One, a rose-pink color states, “Blessings Are Everywhere.” The other, a turquoise blue color states, “Re-write Your Script”. I use these when I need a reminder to be grateful, or when I am feeling stuck in some area of my life.

So, I guess for me, the ritual of tea is not just drinking a hot liquid out of any delicate China cup or sturdy mug. It is an intrinsic part of my daily life, connected with my soul. Maybe it’s the mugs that are the ritual and the tea is secondary. Maybe the connections I feel with a specific mug in my hand are what make me feel invigorated and alive, not the tea itself. In any case there is nothing like a good cup of tea for whatever ails you. Black, sugared, plain, flavored, green, pick one, grab a favorite mug and start your own ritual.