Steam

As I sit and write this, I have a cup of white tea at my side. This morning, I had a large pot of green tea next to me while I read on the couch in my living room. In fact, I almost always read with a hot beverage in hand (usually my beloved tea), and in this I am hardly alone. Hot drinks and books are a magical combination, one reinforcing the enjoyment of the other.

The relationship begins with ritual. Obtaining one’s daily hot beverage is a nearly universal habitual action—one of the small pleasures we look forward to that commences our day. Most people repeat the same practice (be it picking it up at a coffee chain, brewing it at home, or using the machine at the office) at least when they work, with a variation on the weekend. If we don’t get to, for whatever reason, we are cranky. That drink is your gift to yourself.

We sip. And sip. And sip. The rhythm allows us to concentrate; the caffeine, to stay awake. When we sit and read, that mellifluous flow heightens the interaction with the book, helping us absorb and remember the text before our eyes. We hypnotically and luxuriously drink in both warming liquid and words.

It’s not surprising that large book chains have cafés inside, nor that the latest trend in libraries leans in the same direction. We visit them to relax, to slow down, and to find something we can look forward to. The anticipation of cracking open a potentially terrific new book or taking that very first sip of your latté is not dissimilar. These joys are easily and cheaply obtained, but can enrich your life.

Tomorrow morning, get up a little earlier, preferably before everyone else in your household wakes up. Brew a pot of your preferred elixir or go to a café and sit down. Take out a book that you’ve wanted to read for some time, and indulge in a chapter or two before officially beginning your day. Make that volume your ‘morning ritual’ book, something to await as much as that rich mug of ___. You can’t tell me that this doesn’t at least sound good. Go ahead. Try it, just once. You will find, I am certain, that you want to do it again.

Comments

[Bibliophile]

I am one of those people who read over breakfast, and I find that when I'm deeply interested in a book, I find myself wishing my mug of tea was bottomless.
Hot chai and a book is a perfect combination for relaxing after work, and a cup of hot milk with ginger goes well with bedtime reading.