Day 44: Green Tea With Peach

Today (Thursday 19th) was an early morning. Up at 4.45am, and my amazing sister brought me a cup of green tea with peach at 5am. There really is something about green tea that brings me from complete grogginess to actually alert and looking forward to the day in just minutes. Even faster than coffee, for me.  I think it's also because coffee has a thickness to it that doesn't go down the throat as smoothly - and I know too that coffee is much heavier on caffeine than green tea.  It's the clarity, the cleanness of green tea that seems to match the early morning.  Like dew on leaves, early morning breezes, and flowers opening up to the sun.  And, as mentioned before, the fruity flavour gives it an additional freshness (like that of fresh fruit).

It was good I started with my green tea, because today was a full one.  I worked for several hours and then went out for my walk, a good long one with some running.  Not as much as I would like, but I'm learning to let the running come as it will, and not pressure myself to try to do more.  As my sister (who is a personal trainer) points out, it's impossible to incrementally increase every single day.  You eventually have to stop or die.  So therefore, going for a half hour, then forty minutes, then forty five, then an hour, usually means you need a day that's much slower - or a different kind of exercise.  I'm still learning a lot about this walking thing, but I'm really enjoying the journey.  My first foray into the walking blogging (Walk In All Weathers) enabled me to have the discipline to do some kind of exercise every day; my current blog is helping me focus on writing every day, and even taking photos every day - and not letting that become an exhausting or impossible task.  I'm starting already to think about what my next blog will be.  I have so many books I'd like to write that in the past I've been completely overwhelmed by it; but now that I have this habit in place I'm starting to think about how I can use this discipline, this daily writing, to encourage me along in those endeavours.

And, to enjoy some pretty amazing cups of tea in the process.

Walk length: 50 minutes

Day 41: Snapple Papaya Mango Tea

One of my favourite things to do when I'm in Arizona is just hang with my nieces and nephews as much as I can.  Today I watched two of them while my sister and her husband were away, and it was such fun just to spend normal time with them, doing regular daily things like eating lunch, folding laundry, going for a walk, and having a water fight.  (In Arizona, in May, that's a regular daily thing - or it ought to be.)  My nieces and nephews always end up saying something just so matter of factly that always makes me feel like crying a little - not in a bad way, just realising that they miss me and would like to have me around.  Today it was Jude's prayer at lunch: "God, we thank you that Auntie Karen is here with us because we hardly ever ever ever get to see her, so this is really nice."  I thought it was, too.  We played with my iphone, recording the kids' voices and then playing them back as 'Robot', 'Guitar', 'Underwater', and a number of other funky recordings.  We laughed ourselves crazy.  Kids love iphones.  (And almost accidentally purchased an upgrade to the free app for me - whooops! A little too easy to buy things!!)

We decided to go for a mini adventure, so we just wandered down to the local petrol station (gas station!!).  The kids were awesome - Jude brought along his skateboard and had to carry it most of the way back (because he was holding his slushie) and never even complained once.  Audrey said that her feet were tired, but made sure to explain that she wasn't complaining, just stating a fact.  (She even kindly gave me an example of what 'complaining' would sound like so I would realise that this wasn't it.)  Audrey is big on telling stories - she wanted to hear stories of when I was little, so I dredged up the story of Auntie Karen And The Bees, Auntie Karen Gets Attacked By Large Dog, and a more recent story (in the last five years or so) of Auntie Karen And Melissa Nearly Get Run Over By A Stampede Of Highland Cattle.  (True story.)

The kids got slushies and I picked out my tea for the day.  Snapple is one of my favourite cold drinks in the States, especially on a warm day.  (It wasn't even close to hot, really - barely 30 C.)  This Snapple was a new flavour (my favourite is kiwi strawberry), and I think I like it because it's not sweet.  It has all the natural sweetness of fruit, but doesn't make you more thirsty by pouring in lots of sugar.  The funny part was, I had it in my head there was pomegranate in it, and was drinking it thinking yes, I can taste the pomegranate now, and have just realised that it's papaya mango. Flavours are funny things.  I read somewhere that there have been blind taste tests done and as long as something is coloured pink or red people will say it's strawberry, or raspberry, or cherry, even if the flavour is more like grape or pineapple.  Our minds decide so quickly on so many factors. I have to think really hard about my teas - although I will say that the hot teas seem to bring out the tastes more.  But I enjoyed my Snapple ("Auntie Karen, why are you taking so many pictures of your Snapple? Do you really really like it?"), and then when we got home we had an impromptu water fight. We couldn't find the water guns or even how to turn the sprinklers on, so we made do with water bottles.  Jude had one that he filled and just flung it at us shouting 'Water Bomb!!!' and then he and Audrey turned themselves into sprinklers, spinning round and round while the water squirted out of their water bottles.  They got soaked and I managed to get damp (they're short, so I mostly got wet on my legs and shorts, not so much my top half), and I looked at Jude and said, 'My goodness, you're completely soaked!'  His response was, "I know, isn't it awesome??"

I love being the cool aunt.

Oh - almost forgot - my walk today was at 5.30am, and Pin and I went together.  It was lovely to walk at that hour of the morning while it's still fairly cool, but you can wear shorts and be comfortable.  We skipped the sprinklers as it wasn't that hot yet.  No running, but it was a good solid walk - and add in the walk with the kids and I'm beat!  But a good tired. 

Total walk length: 70 minutes

Day 38: Organic Green Tea (Loose Leaf)

When I arrived in Arizona a few days ago, my sister had waiting for me in my room a beautiful basket by MR Designs and Gifts (amazing baskets!) - all about green tea! My favourite!  There were green tea sweets, and biscuits, and a box of organic green tea in little 'infusion packets', and biscotti (to go with the tea), all wrapped up in a beautiful basket and a cup-of-tea-plant-holder. At least that's what it looks like!  I had so much fun taking photos of the beautiful basket that I'm sure my sister was wondering if I was ever going to drink the tea.

I did though - opened up the organic green tea and took out one of the infusion packets and brewed myself a lovely cup. It was amazing. Usually I like my green tea with fruity flavours, to remove any bitterness and give a new taste to it, but this is amazing tea.  ("Only the best for MR baskets," Pin said, and I think that's true.) It had all the best of what green tea has to offer, and nothing that would hold you back from drinking the entire cup.  It's hard to say what I love so much about green tea. I like that it's light, and you don't need to add anything to it to enjoy the flavours. It truly is refreshing: first thing in the morning, when I don't feel like eating or drinking anything, I can drink a cup of green tea and enjoy the beginnings of the new day.  Many times I've gotten up thinking 'I really don't want to start this day' and by the time I've taken a few sips and started my morning pages, things are definitely looking up.  And maybe it's all the antioxidants and healthful aspects...which is surprising, since often the things that are healthiest for you taste pretty miserable (like the 'Green Vibrance' powder my mum was drinking, which smelled and tasted like moldy dirt and grass combined).

I went for a long walk with my sister this morning - even ran almost half of it, which was a nice change.  We made it out before it got too hot, but we were still pretty weary when we got back.  As Pin said, "Instead of 'I am woman hear me roar', it's 'I'm weak as a kitten but I can try'."   I like the confidence!

So in the afternoon I sat in my dad's crazy rocking chair (you sit in it and nearly get flung backwards - true story!), rocking carefully, drinking my organic green tea and feeling pretty happy about myself. And about gift baskets, and sisters, and being in sunny Arizona!

Walk/run length: 50 minutes

Day 37: Irish Decaffeinated Breakfast Tea

My walk this morning was a little late - I wasn't able to get out until close to 11, and in Phoenix (in May) that's just asking for trouble.  I barely made it to the canal, and not even halfway down before I needed to turn back. The last thing I wanted was a raging headache and sunstroke, and I've been there before.  Fortunately I had enough water with me and didn't stay out too long, so my walk (if not a raving success) at least happened!

Tonight we drove down to Tucson where our church is starting a new work there.  It was a fairly long and, I must admit, a little boring drive, but once we got closer to the house we were going to things started to get much more beautiful.  The Catalina Mountains rose up dusky blue and purple in the background, and the dusty and sage greens of the desert mingled with the deeper greens of the trees lining the roads.  We got to their house which was a beautiful, rambling, sprawling ranch house complete with horses and cowboy boots at the front door.  And in this dusty, deserty place we discovered a lady with a cupboard full of beautiful teacups and saucers, and the opportunity for a 'nice cup of tea and a sit down'.

I even got to choose my own teacup, so I picked a blue-green one with a yellow flower inside, and chose an Irish Breakfast Decaffeinated tea to put inside it.  I was pleasantly surprised with the freshness and light flavour of this tea - not too dark or too bitter (although I didn't steep it long).  I've put in teabags and forgotten about them before and the result is something very akin to sludge. Kind of frightening.  Fortunately this was not the case here, and we all enjoyed our tea in lovely, pretty, china cups.

Pin and I went out with one of the girls to visit their horses and came back, and we spent a few hours with the believers singing the Word, praying, and hearing a short exposition on Psalm 120 by the famous expositor, my Dad.  I really love his psalm explanations. I wish that I had been recording them all these years, because if he doesn't write a book of them, I will one day.  He pointed out that Psalm 120 was all about refreshment, reflection, and renewal: all of which I feel pretty passionate about, and was glad to be reminded of.  He reminded us to, like the psalmist, be continually waiting on God: but not a lie-back-and-do-nothing waiting, but an active, looking about, being willing to do things waiting.  The result is all of God, but we do what we can too.

I think what was most encouraging to me was praying with the other believers there.  Praying in community is one of the most powerful things you can do.  For me, there are always several aspects to it.  It reminds me that I am not alone.  If I can't pray, someone else can, and often is praying for me.  When someone else thanks God for who He is and for who Jesus is, and for the salvation we receive, I'm reminded to do the same instead of just leaping in asking for stuff.  And when another believer confesses his own sin and failings out loud in a group setting through prayer, it is a heart-convicting time that reminds me to search my own heart.  Prayer in a group is like a little mini church service: there is encouragement, and challenge, and reminder, and joy, and hope, and struggle...and there are those things Dad was telling us about - refreshment, reflection, and renewal.  Because others are praying, you must sit and reflect for a time on who God is and who others see Him to be. And afterwards you can sit around for a little fellowship - and perhaps another cup of tea.

Walk length: 35 minutes