~~okieOLIO~~

following the recent ~~myOLIO~~ field trip to SortaCrunchy to share my love of tea, one of megan’s readers suggested a post on tea for kids. i thought it was a great idea, so today i’m happy to direct you to Simple Kids for some practical and fun information, whether you have children or not. you can leave comments and questions here or there. thanks for takin’ the trip with me!

hi, there. don’t get too comfy, just yet. today we’re going on a little outing over to SortaCrunchy. i’ve been asked to guest post on my friend megan’s blog! it seems i’m the snobbiest tea drinker she knows, and she thinks her readers will appreciate my take on the way of tea and why i love this beverage.

i’m flattered and excited to connect with a new group of people, and also to introduce you guys to her impressive and inspiring blog. megan is a wonderful mom and is currently co-authoring a book on parenting, as well as writing and editing for the new blog Simple Kids. we share a passion for living naturally,writing, faith, and family, and a long-time friendship.

so without further ado, let’s skip on over and see my debut outside the ~~myOLIO~~ web space. (tomorrow the second part of my contribution will be published, so please check back in with SortaCrunchy to read the follow-up to today’s post.)

**UPDATE: SortaCrunchy readers, welcome! please click around and see if any of our interests coincide. i’d love to hear your thoughts, advice, or questions on the topics i love to pursue here. feel free to make yourself at home.

it seems as if winter has finally arrived in our seasonally-schizophrenic state, for real. we have had plenty of frigid days in the last month, but each cold spell has been followed by at least a day or two of tee-shirt weather (typical). this is the first week that i have needed to don my heavier coat every day, and not wanted to shed it by the afternoon. so, i decided winter should come to this blog as well, hence the snow falling on your computer screen.  i hope you enjoy the festive display. (at least until the spring)

for me the arrival of the cold means an excuse to enjoy more tea! true, i am the tea drinker that consumes the hot beverage year-round (hey, the level of air-conditioning that some feel is necessary to combat the sweltering temperatures in summer constitutes an indoor winter for me), but during the colder weather my constant sipping from a warm mug is more acceptable, or at least understandable. and while i do enjoy an occasional cool glass of iced tea during the sunny months, i feel icing my fresh brew sometimes compromises the experience by stifling the aroma and masking the flavor. so, having another reason to take my tea steaming during this time of year makes me happy.

there’s just nothing like a blustery day to enhance the multi-faceted way of the perfectly steeped cup. so as we here in oklahoma look forward to our winter finally beginning and perhaps some light flurries in the forecast, i’m going to celebrate with a piping cup of white tea (how appropriate).

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image courtesy wikimedia

“tea is not a product, it’s a practice. what the Asians call the ‘Way.’ …no pleasure is simpler, no luxury cheaper, no consciousness-altering substance more benign.” -james norwood pratt

tea is more than a drink; it’s an experience. the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant have become a treasure as a beverage, medicine, industry, and art. history lives on that little plant – it has played a large role in the political, financial, and social stories of the world. whether we realize it or not, to drink tea is to imbibe the spirit of rich cultures from all over the globe. (see a history of tea here.) no wonder tea is second only to water as the preferred beverage worldwide.

i personally have a love affair with tea. i do not go a single day without at least four cups, usually of varying types, and almost always prepared with as much attention as you would give a souffle. i genuinely savor the experience as much as the flavor. yes, i have become a tea snob – don’t even try to offer me Lipton unless you want me to cringe rudely. i’m “roughing it” when i have to resort to a tea bag and not loose leaf while i am out. (i always carry several individual bags of the good stuff in my purse.)

more than just the sensual pleasure of the smooth taste and soothing warmth and comforting ritual, my enjoyment comes from an understanding and appreciation for the history, art, culture, and way of tea. it’s an experience i love to share.