Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea. –Maele Moore
I like this quote. It exemplifies an attitude of resourcefulness and optimism. The phrase “bread and water” brings up images of drab sadness in a labor camp. “Toast and tea” is a bright room with a cozy book. The difference being a few plant leaves and a toaster (butter can’t hurt.)
Some days, the gap between harshness and contentment can seem too wide. Often it takes another person to point out the sturdy bridge located a heartbeat to the left of me. I try to be open to these nudges, but I can get lost in my head, narrow and never-ending.
(I have yet to meet an Earl Grey I didn’t like. I use essential oils for medicinal purposes: chest rubs for cough and cold, hair tonics, face mists, a drop of lavender on clean sheets- ahhh. Bergamot oil is that lovely flavor in Earl Grey. It comes from a citrus fruit in southern Italy. Perhaps my 1/4 cup of Italian heritage makes me love it so…)
Where in my life can I turn ‘bread and water’ into ‘toast and tea’? I often feel trapped by the neediness of my body: consistent bedtime, good eating habits, daily exercise. These things are ‘bread and water’, therefore the quest is to look around for some sparkly leaves and a mystical heat source to make a transformation into ‘toast and tea’. Only a small miracle…
I’ve succeed with the consistent bedtime. Once I realized how strictly I needed it to prevent headaches and help with sleep issues, it wasn’t as challenging as I feared. I had to start saying “no” to late evening people and activities. As a result, I have quiet evenings at home, which I am enjoying. No screen-time past a certain hour has led me to reading books or playing games with the fam. ‘Toast and tea’ success!
And the other two parts? Tea (is that irony?) is a delightful part of my diet. And I like having home-cooking time for healthy meals. But exercise is still ‘bread and water’. Workin’ on that.
Where have you transformed something into ‘toast and tea’?
Rise unfettered.
Move with intention.
Be grand.
