Chinese Sin Erasing Tea

   We just got back from a short trip out to San Francisco, and while we were there, we spent a lot of time in China Town. The food was fantastic and I completely enjoyed looking at all of the things on sale for a "very low price" now that the Chinese New Year is over. But my favorite thing was spending time in one of the many Chinese Tea Houses. I loved sitting on one of the rickety chairs lining the outer rim of the tasting counter and listening to the little Chinaman talk as he served up itty-bitty cups of tea by the sip. I loved watching his hands as he swished the tea leaves around with the lid of the serving cup, and I was riveted by all the things he told us that the tea could do for our bodies.

  We learned that white teas are the highest in anti-oxidants and the black teas are the highest in caffeine. He poured us jasmine tea, green tea and even a special tea that looked like long twigs of greenish-colored toilet paper all twisted up, ready to unfold in hot water to help people with diabetes process sugars better. There was a rose-scented tea that was good for your complexion and another tea that came in a bark-like case that aided in digestive track issues. There was a tea for everything and every problem! So you can imagine how laser-focused I became when the little man behind the counter told me about the tea that takes away all of your sins!

   It's called Angel Tea, and our host explained that this particular tea cleanses the body of all the nasty things you put into it. I watched with wide eyes as he placed the dried flakes of tea into a bulbous-looking wineglass and then added hot water. Instantly, the flakes fanned out into beautiful, lush leaves that swayed a bit as the man swished the water around the glass. I held out my tiny tea cup to get my sip, hoping that this tea could help me get rid of the double chocolate muffin I ate earlier that day. As I swallowed that bitter sip down, I felt my hand automatically reach out for a second sip. (You see, I also had a bag of peanut M&M's on our flight out West, and I was just sure those suckers were clogging up my system.) The nice tea man obliged with a smile, and then revealed a cigarette in his pocket. He winked at me and said, "This tea pay for all my sins!"

   I just had to get some of this amazing tea to take home with me, and luckily, my husband seemed equally as impressed by the notion of a tea that could erase poor food and lifestyle choices in a few steamy gulps. So I asked the gentleman how much it would be to buy some of this heavenly Angel Tea.

    "Angel Tea is $128 per pound," he said with a proud smile. "But it worth every penny."

    While I was sure he was speaking the truth on this matter, I had to pause and analyze the price of this tea. Good heaven's that's a lot - even for tea that can actually erase what you've eaten! But before I could even react, I heard my husband ask the man for a quarter of a pound, and I suddenly felt alive inside! We could certainly afford to buy a quarter of a pound of this magical tea!! I would just have to ration it a bit and treat it like liquid gold! I felt giddy knowing that I would soon have the power to flush my body of all the naughty bites of chocolate, and the spoonfuls of Nutella I seem to be so prone to eating. 

  I can't tell you how excited I was to get back home and brew up a big cup of Angel Tea! I ate so poorly on our trip that it gave me such comfort to know that I could simply sip on some tea and all of those terribly fattening things I ate would just melt off of my hips! I mean if this tea could get rid of the negative impact of smoking for the Chinese man, why couldn't it help me out with some of my more questionable food choices? And now that I have my very own stash of this amazing tea, I don't have to limit myself to just one tiny cup - I can make a huge cup of tea, and really melt the gunk out of my body!

   On my first day back from my vacation, I got up early and boiled some water in my electric kettle. I poured a very small handful of the Angel Tea leaves into my tea strainer and pulled out the biggest mug we've got. I was going to start my day off with a clean slate, no matter how much tea I had to drink. My first mug was a little bitter, but I slurped down every gulp, willing the tea to do it's magic inside the inner workings of my body. My second mug was certainly a lot less tasty, but I figured it would take at least two mugs to really flush out my body, and in the end, I decided it would be worth getting over the way the green liquid tasted  on my tongue for these oh-so-desirable results! 

   A few hours later, I was running errands when suddenly, my stomach started to gurgle - VERY LOUDLY! Then, I started to feel the gurgling moving around and entering a section of my body that was no longer what I considered to be my stomach region (if you know what I mean!). It was almost like something gave way inside of my body and things were starting to pressurize inside of me. I literally had the vision of one of those Liquid Plumber commercials where the clog suddenly dissolves and everything starts to flow!! It was all I could do to make it back to our condo in time before the "pipes" inside my abdomen burst!

   Several hours later, I had gone through an entire roll of toilet paper and was doubled over on my bed with roiling stomach cramps. I felt my forehead glistening with sweat as I did my best to stave off another wave of nausea and I found myself praying to ask God to forgive me for believing that I could actually erase my bad choices with a few cups of tea. I know it takes more willpower than I have these days to make good choices, and I was simply foolish to think there was a tea that could eliminate the consequences of all the junky things I've been eating these days!

   That's when I started to wonder if maybe the only sin this Chinese Sin Erasing Tea couldn't wipe clean was the sin of gluttony! (Because stupidity isn't technically a sin!!)

 

 

American Grammar Crisis

    Here is a serious question I need to pose to the world - well, to the "world" of people who actually check my blog from time to time, that is! What is going on in America when it comes to grammar usage? Are our teachers slacking off when it comes to educating our children on the proper tense and usage of commonly used words in the English language? What gives? Are we getting to be too politically correct to grammatically correct people anymore? Or is this some kind of new trend I don't know about? Is speaking without following the rules the new "in" way to talk - somewhat like Snoop Dogg's era of adding the suffix "izzle" to the endings of his words? I can't really say because I'm simply stumped!

   Recently, I was speaking with a very well-educated gentleman (at least I thought he was!). He was sharing a story with me about a car accident he witnessed earlier that day. I literally thought I heard the terrible  screeching sound of tires locking up on asphalt when he said, "All I seen was the car coming at me!" Oh dear! How in the world could he say that? Even now, as I write this entry, I have no idea if the car he "seen" coming at him actually hit him because I never fully recovered from the major mental skid-marks his grammar left on my brain! I can't be completely sure that my head didn't jerk back when I heard what he said, and perhaps it is the very reason I woke up the next day with a stiff neck. (I'm guessing whiplash?)

   But here is the real issue: Do you correct someone in the midst of such an infraction? Or do you just let it slip? What is the moral obligation here?

   I've tossed this concern around a bit in my head, and also with a close friend of mine who has a grammatically incorrect abuser in her life as well, and the thing is, neither of us can figure out the right answer to this one. How do you handle this with grace and care for the person misusing our fine English language? And why does this bother me so much?

   I know I'm not perfect - after all, I do happen to be the published author with a list of documented mistakes in my published book!! Who am I to talk, right? So clearly, I can easily and humbly concede the point that we all make mistakes in our spoken (and written) language. But the truth is, many of the things we accept these days as correct English usage are in fact incorrect. 

    For example: When someone asks you, "How are you?" the common reply nowadays is, "I'm good." But the grammatically correct response is, "I'm well." But no one seems to care anymore, and in fact, when I say I'm well, sometimes people look at me like I made the mistake!!

   So what do I do? Is leading by example enough? Or does a true grammar warrior need to be braver (versus "more brave" - which is what many would say, but, as it turns out, would fall under the category of improper grammar usage)?

   I guess the real reason this question is such a burning one for me is because I think I would want to know if I was speaking with glaringly poor grammar! I'm quite sure that I would want to know that there was a way to make myself sound better to my listeners! And I would hate it if people were judging me by what I'm saying improperly versus listening to the very intelligent things I'm actually trying my best to communicate!! 

   It reminds me of the time that I was walking around the mall with a HUGE piece of spinach stuck between my two front teeth. I happened to notice the mass of vegetation when I made a mad dash into Chicos (I was only in there because I was in search of a chunky belt!). As I was combing through the tangle of belts on sale, I happened to catch my reflection in the chrome of the display rack. There it was. A huge chunk of dark green spinach, wedge between my pearly whites. I quickly started using my tongue and created some suction in my mouth to try to remove the chunk without the use of my fingers, but my heart was sinking as I realized that it had been over an hour since I ate lunch! I had visited several shops during that time, and even engaged sales people in conversation!! How could anyone let a fellow human walk around like that? Where is the humanity in that? 

   Well, I don't know the right answer about the grammar issue, but as you can see, it is a serious issue to consider. Maybe someone out there can tell me what to do. But in the meantime, I challenge my readers to choose your words with care. Take some pride in your language choices and set an example. And for heaven's sake, if you see a woman with a huge chunk of food between her teeth, TELL HER ABOUT IT!! (We can always work on the grammar later!!)

Long time... No write...

     I hate that it's been such a long time since I've posted a new entry. I just haven't been myself these days. I even had an unexplainable (at the time) bout of depression the other day. I literally felt myself slipping into this very bad place in my mind. I felt all dark and gloomy inside -- which is completely unfamiliar territory for me normally speaking. I was luckily alone a lot that day, so no one had to feel the kookiness of my mood, but still, it was strange.

   A day or so later, the arrival of my monthly buddy sort of explained things, and put it all in perspective.  So now, I'm back on track with my mood, but I'm still oddly uninspired. It makes me a bit sad to find myself in this state, but I guess I should just consider it a part of a normal ebb and flow of life. Some days, you are on it, while other days, you just kind of wish you were. 

   All in all, I still think there is so much to be excited about and so much in my life to make me feel completely filled with thanks. I guess I just need to accept this down-time with as much awareness as possible, and do my best to learn more about all the sides of Sonja Bentley Zant. (Gosh, I hope this experience won't prove to be like Sybil or The Many Faces of Eve!!)

I am the Butterfly Maiden

    Several nights ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to be with a group of women who formed their very own goddess group. It was amazing to sit with these women -- who were all new to me except one -- and discover that we could all share and connect so easily. I think we were created to be nurtured by one another as women, and that night, that was just what I needed!

   Part of the time together involved drawing a goddess card. I have to confess, when I first got the stack, I held it face-side-up and the card on top was the one I really wanted. It said something about success, and with all the things going on in my life right now with my novel, it was my first reaction to snag that sentiment and hold on to it and make it my own! But I was able to restrain myself because I decided it would be more interesting to find out what card I was supposed to get. So I flipped the deck over, face-down, shuffled it a bit and then drew out my card. It was a gorgeous card with a tall, thin woman with flowing black hair, surrounded by butterflies. She was called the Butterfly Maiden and what she stood for was transformation.

   As I held the card and studied it for a bit, there was of course the obvious fit that my life is about to change with my book and all the opportunities lining up for me. But when I really tried to drop in and consider what I could learn from the idea of transformation in my life, it dawned on me that after a four days of working on my family, maybe this was the signal of transformation for all of us, not just me! 

   As I stated in a previous entry, my ideas about blending a family were a little unrealistic. I think I hoped that my stepsons would "love" me and "embrace" me, and that ultimately, we would have harmony in our home. But now I realize that harmony is just a nice concept if it doesn't come with truth. And just like the journey a butterfly must take from cocoon to spreading it's wings, I must allow myself and my family the grace to morph into something different and new. I don't have the luxury to choose what color the butterfly will be, but I have faith that whatever the outcome, the transformation will be beautiful in it's own unique way. It is going to take time, that's for sure, but there is such hope in the knowing that we can change and that we can transform from something that isn't working into something that holds all of our hopes. 

   So as I work this week on allowing God to move in my life and in the lives of my husband and his boys, I want to hold on to the idea that I am the Butterfly Maiden for a reason! 

 

I blame Mike and Carol Brady

   I am a product of the 70's, and most of my ideas and major life paradigms come from that era. So when I met my husband, and found out that he had two kids, I just assumed we could be like the Brady Bunch. You know -- everyone would get along and the only real hotbed issues in the family would be "Tiger" running away or maybe "Peter" losing the architecture plans.

   But I am here to tell you that Mike and Carol Brady didn't prepare me very well for the realities of a blended family. I wish it could be so easy, but it's not. And on some levels, the complications have forced me to see myself in a new way, which ultimately has made me more aware and perhaps even a better version of myself. But on other levels, I'm not sure what I am anymore.

   Anyway, this is a short entry and will be my only entry for the next seven days as I go up to do a weekend retreat with  my husband and stepson to work on our relationships. I have a knot in my stomach, but I also feel like in order to get the most out of this opportunity, I am going to have to be brave. So I am calling on all my friends to pray me through this and I have big plans to come home and share all the greatness that is uncovered as a result of this retreat. 

   See you next week, and I send all my blog readers many blessings! 

Sliced Bread Revolution

   I was driving in my car the other day, listening to the radio, and this ad came on for On-Star. It was one of those testimonial type adds where this customer was calling in to the On-Star control center to add minutes to her plan. After she raved on and on about how the system changed her life, she said, "I think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread!"

   I guess I must have been extra bored or something because I found myself thinking about the cliche of something being better than sliced bread. Is having your bread pre-sliced in the bag really that life-changing or revolutionary? I decided that maybe I needed to find out. After all, I've used that claim a time or two in my life, so maybe I need to know how authentically I feel about it. So I drove my car to the local grocery store and went to the bakery.

   I selected a very small loaf of fresh baked, clearly un-sliced bread. (I didn't want to have a lot of difficult bread left over in case the slicing proved to complicate my life too much.) When the bakery worker grabbed the loaf for me from the case, she asked over her shoulder, "You want that sliced, hon?" I proudly said, "No thank you -- I'm doing it myself!"

   I'm not sure if I detected a raise in her eyebrow or not, but there was definitely a shift in her hair net when I declined the slicing option and I felt super challenged to put this worn out cliche to the ultimate test. Would it change my life? Probably not. But I was about to find out.

   I'm most certainly not known for my skills in the kitchen -- unless you count my cleaning skills, which are actually legendary among family. And most of the time, I think my husband rather hopes I won't handle the knives, but I felt ready to take a chance. So I made my way over to my perfectly sanitized butcher block and pulled out the serrated bread knife. With my tiny loaf of sunflower bread, resting patiently on the cutting board, I slid the knife across the top with a gentle see-saw motion to create the first cut. 

   My first slice wasn't too bad, but as I moved my way down the loaf, each piece became more and more disfigured. I might have been squeezing the loaf a bit too hard with my stabilizing hand as I pushed the knife down with my other hand to create the cuts. And size consistency? Forget it. One of the slices I cut -- toward the middle -- actually wouldn't fit into the over-sized slots of my pop-up toaster! And even the couple pieces that did fit were so uneven that they must of been touching the heating elements in the toaster! As a result, there was a horrible smell of burnt bread overpowering my Fabreeze-fresh home! (Bummer...)

   There's no doubt that the bread was still quite delicious, and ultimately, the effort of slicing my own bread really didn't impact me as much as it sounded like the On-Star navigational system impacted the caller on their ad. But you know, pre-sliced bread is a great thing, and I do think, after doing my own research on the subject, it is a worthy cliche. It does indeed simply things, and you know, that can be a revolution of sorts. Anyway, I feel as if I can use this common phrase with a truer voice, and now that you've read my blog, I hope maybe you can, too. 

Cup of good tea

    Sometimes, all it takes to make me happy in the morning is a cup of good tea. My sister sent me these tea bags for Christmas and I've only been allowing myself to use one if I know I can have the discipline to actually savor the sipping process. I don't want to just gulp it down distractedly while I'm checking my email. I want to let the tea roll over my tongue and season my mouth with all that lemony goodness!

   Today, I took time to savor the tea a bit. I sat on my sofa and looked out the front sliders at the beautiful, moody day unfolding. I took my time with my sips and enjoyed knowing that my sister, who I love so much, picked this tea out just for me because she knows how much I enjoy it! When I got to the last bit of tea in my cup, it was a completely cold, but the taste and the experience of all the sips made me feel happy and warm!

   Now, as I write this entry, I have to wonder why I can be so intentional with a cup of tea, but so unintentional with so many other gifts in my life. Maybe since there are only so many tea bags in the tin my sister sent, I realize my enjoyment of the tea is ultimately limited. But when you really think about it, since all we get is this moment right now -- with no promise of more moments passed this one -- everything needs to be savored and respected for it's uniqueness and importance in the moment. 

   Perhaps today, I will find a few more things that I need to draw my attention and my intention toward, and see what happens. But for now, I must confess, I sure do like that tea! ;o)