Every morning before I start my workday, I sit in the kitchen at the library and have an orange and a cup of tea. It’s a great way to start my day. An orange is a wonderful treat on dreary winter mornings. I like to hold the orange in my hands and imagine it’s a small sun warming my face. Peeling it can be a meditative exercise. The smell of the orange is so cheerful and childlike. The taste is so much better than a glass of orange juice - the kind I’m used to, made from concentrate mixed with water.
I get to work early and I have about half an hour before I’m scheduled to start work. I heat water for my tea in the microwave downstairs and then carry it up two flights of stairs to the kitchen. Once I get inside the quiet and cozy kitchen on the third floor, I shut the door and enjoy the solitude. I sit at the kitchen table with tea and fruit and let my eyes rest on the hills and sky outside the window. There is an old clock on the wall with an audible tick, and I swear that instrument slows time down within the bounds of that room. A half an hour can stretch into an entire morning as I sit and let my thoughts wander, sip my tea and savor my orange.
I happened upon this routine quite accidentally. Paul and I realized that our new schedules allow him to drop me off on his way to work with less than an hour before my shift begins. The anticipated advantage was that I wouldn’t have to traverse the icy sidewalks and arrive at work harassed and out of breath just minutes before the library opens. The surprise advantage was my tea and orange meditation in a room that slows time. I can warm myself with my own private sun on these winter mornings, and can begin my day relaxed and refreshed.
You can find magic in the most unexpected places.
