I’m sitting in a cozy corner far away from home right now. It’s the kind of place that is silent and comfortable because it’s away from the city. No traffic rumbles by, no heavy noises dot the landscape. Just me, my thoughts and my cup of steaming tea.
People who know me well know of my penchant for tea. Okay, fine. I mean, my obsession with tea. It’s kind of strange though that a lot of my posts are inspired by this brew.
Tea making is a reflective, introspective process. The time it takes for the leaves to soak in the boiling water, infuse their aroma into the liquid and come out looking larger and shinier is something that fascinates me.
Experiences are like that where I’m concerned. As I grow older, every waking second is a tea-making journey. I learn that we can keep growing as individuals, as parents, as friends, as writers.
If the tea making process is reflective, the drinking of it fills me with gratitude. Each day’s cuppa is special. Why? I find time to give thanks for the people in my life.
Writing used to be a lonely journey for many but with blogging and community and social media it’s gloriously different now. The best part is our blogs don’t just connect us to readers. They help us make friends.
On the morning of my six-day long getaway, I posted a request for must-see places in Mangalore. Within the hour, I was flooded with suggestions from friends on Facebook with more details than I’d have found in a Lonely Planet guide! You can’t buy that kind of value.
Many months ago, I’d considered deactivating my social media accounts indefinitely. Because, apparently, I wasn’t some people’s cup of tea.
But guess what. That’s okay. That’s more than okay .If we live our lives expecting that we’d always be loved, always be respected for our choices and forever accepted, we will never be happy.
What’s important is to find out whose cup of tea you are.
You’ll never be everyone’s cup of tea. Some people prefer coffee. And that’s just the way it should be.
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Looks like I missed this post around the time you published it. I love how you’ve got so much from a cup of tea. You’re right though — we cannot and will never be everyone’s cup of tea {or coffee} and that’s ok. It takes a lot of introspection and self-reflection to get to that state of being okay with it all. I think when we try and become everyone’s cup of tea, we end up losing pieces of ourselves
Catch 22, right? I do understand the burden of expectations that can come from having a very large community but they are amazing when it comes to support. So I do what I can in my own small way 🙂 And yes, that be me in your last line. 😉
Now that’s a lovely thought 🙂
I would like to believe that I am a special brew and not everyone is blessed with a palate to appreciate me. It is entirely their loss. No hard feelings. ?
I’ve been going through similar motions myself. I cut myself off from my community because of all the overshare and the relationships based on validation. But I’m also realizing how important it is to HAVE such a community. Shy, making us think since 19whatever 😀
Absolutely. Also, trying to be everyone’s cup of tea is a futile exercise. I’d rather be someone’s nimbu paani and just be happy with the select few.
Totally makes sense. You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea or coffee. I think l love coffee just a tad more than tea though. ?
Life is a learning process and every little experience teaches us. Love the calm in this post, reflecting and positive. Hope the vacation was fabulous!
A lovely analogy. A warm cup of your favourite beverage can do wonders for your soul if you’re the reflective kind and it’s great that you find the peace and equilibrium with this simple ritual. We can never be everyone’s cup of tea..it would be so boring, no?
It is marvellous how a simple cup of tea can lead to a string of thoughts about relationships. True that we cannot become everyone’s cup of tea for the difference in preferences. But what if when one is way different from ALL the people one is related to, then it becomes necessary to become one’s own cup of tea. God! I hope I have not mixed it up.
You are definitely my cup of tea 🙂 Do you like to add milk and sugar to your tea cup? And some ginger? I am assuming you do not 😀
What a beautifully appropriate analogy. I loved it.
Great analogy !!! Though I’m a coffee person, I loved your post. Since you are my cup of tea. Rightly said, whatever others think about you is not so important. But what you think about yourself makes all the difference. Thanks for this timely reminder.
You are right…. Everyones cup of tea cannot be synced with our own…. I like tea but the madrasi that i am, coffee does take a higher precedence 🙂
Am a tea lover as against my blog name. And the last lines are perfect.
Tea lover myself. And yes, the analogy holds true. There is something truly soothing for me in a cup of tea and all the varieties that exist (I’m a big fan of flavored teas – peach and apricot, blueberry) I always took it as a sign I was open to new things beyond the normal
Love the analogy. I’m also training my mind to be at ease. We can’t keep everyone happy so better to keep ourselves happy. A great reminder of this important life lesson.
I am a coffee lover in a house full of tea lovers. Most people fail to recognise that peoples choice (of beverage obviously) especially if it is different than yours does not define the terms of your relationship. But I digress, I agree you cannot be everything to everyone, so as long as you are something to someone, the rest does not matter.
That’s such a great thought. You really cannot be everyone’s cup of tea. I need to remember that. I often think so much about people who don’t like me that I forget to remember people who do. Glad you cup of tea brought on this epiphany.
Haha.. What a fun post. Know what, it’s perfectly fine if we aren’t someone’s cup of tea or kaapi.. Just be yourself and that is all you need to be.. ???
Damn!
All this from a cup of tea? And you say I overthink and overexpress about coffee ?.
Profound thoughts. And right you are. You can never be everyone’s favourite beverage.