When I was growing up, I remember my dad would always make tea in the mornings. It was usually a Russian tea that had a really specific, delicious smell. He usually woke up later than me actually, so I would always be up and waiting impatiently for him to make it. Sometimes my mom would have cookies or biscuits out, too. I got pretty excited. It always ended up being the perfect time to just get together with my parents and my sister, and have some family time.
This still goes on almost every morning. For me, it’s such a good time to come home and take a step back from school and be able to relax with my family. I think this subconsciously taught me the importance of family and how to just enjoy the simple things in life. Even though making tea seems like such an insignificant thing, I think its shaped who I am today. I wonder what I would be like if I never had this little tradition. What would I be doing? What would I be looking forward to in the mornings? I probably wouldn’t be as addicted to caffeine.
I hate waking up in the mornings now, so I’m never up before my dad anymore. Now, I brought his tea making tradition with me to college and try to get myself to wake up when I need to. Tea (or sometimes coffee) is what gets me going in the morning. It’s weird to think about how such a small thing can make up the history of myself and take part in shaping the person I have become. I’m sure I’ll pass down this tradition to generations after me when I have a family someday, so the history will live on. I wouldn’t say this is a grand narrative because there was always a chance that I could change my mind and not like tea anymore. It’s not a set path, but I’ll probably keep the tradition going.
I really enjoyed your post. I thought it was well written and I definitely was able to relate to it in some ways. I've grown up with a family of coffee drinkers and each morning (when I was still living at home) I'd come downstairs to be greeted by the smell of fresh brewed coffee. To this day, I love having coffee in the morning to start my day. It's a little piece of home and gives me a small sense of comfort. I believe I'll continue to pass this morning tradition on to my family someday.
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