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art of living
October 2009 
Breaking Tea at the Office
margie
I keep a tea set at the office, because when things get stressful, I try to take a fifteen minute break and make myself a bowl of tea. When there are more than 300 email messages to answer, my voice mail is overflowing and most of the time is spent in meetings and it seems like I am drowning in paperwork, I need tea more than ever.
Besides having a caffeine boost from the matcha powdered tea, the ritual of making a bowl of tea calms me and brings back focus. I feel less overwhelmed, and more able to get back to work and be productive. When I am working those late nights, a bowl of tea keeps me going until I finish what I need to do.
At some of my jobs over the years, I have started a weekly "tea break" where a few people gather in my office to share a bowl of tea. At the end of a hectic week, it is a great way to start the weekend.
Access: Public
What for you is tea, is for me a cup of coffee. I felt deeply what you meant. A ritual, seemingly a small thing to outsiders can mean so much, and turn a day of turmoil into a day that flows.
Great idea about that weekly “tea break”! A long time ago, when I worked as a nursing assistant in a rehab center, I got everyone hooked on coffee! The small room, where we had a tiny space for our own things, became the place to go away for one second, still in shouting distance if needed, but for a breath we could relax.
Yes, sometimes it is the small things that can mean so much. I like to make tea for people and introduce them to the ritual that has so influenced my life. There just seems to be something about sharing a beverage or meal together that brings people a little closer.
Thanks for the comment and take care,
Margie
As I only have formal study every other week, I too have started keeping a minimal tea set at the office. I have the utensils arranged on the bookshelf across from my desk, and it is an oasis of serenity among the computers and books and office supplies. Each day, when I can, I set aside a few minutes to clear away everything from the desktop, put the phone on “do not disturb,” and simply make a cup of tea. It is practice, and it is peace.
I've brought in several other tea bowls, and have been both delighted and surprised by my co-workers that have decided to join me. None have opted to make it a daily practice, but at least “tea” for them now has a definition besides the brewed, sweetened and iced variety. :-)
Steve,
There is something soothing about tea and its surroundings that induces peacefulness. Tea culture seems all about slowing down and taking a break, like afternoon tea. And there are so many varieties and ways to consume tea. The Urasenke Grand Tea Master has made it a vision of his, “Ichi wan peacefulness” or peacefulness through a bowl of tea. I say expose more people to tea.