01: I’ve been thinking about how easily familiar things disappear into the background.
The tea we drink every day. The same walk. The same view from the window.
Familiarity helps us move through life efficiently, but it can also mean we stop paying much attention.
This week, I’ve been taking my first cup of tea outside more often and noticing small things I would usually miss - new growth, signs of decay, birdsong, the changing morning light.
It made me wonder what else I’ve stopped noticing because I think I already know it.
A simple experiment for the week: choose one familiar thing and look again.
Your tea is a good place to start.
p.s. Your pause for tea this week is brought to you by Blooming Marvellous - discover more teas here and listen to this week’s podcast to learn more and brew together.
© eteaket
02: “The daily practice that could rewire your brain”
In his TED talk, Timm Chiusano describes becoming fascinated by something mundane on a walk home and developing a practice of deliberately noticing ordinary things.
Watch now: TED
03: “What if your life turned out to be ordinary?”
Nadine Levy writes an interesting article in The Guardian about our resistance to ordinariness and what happens when we pay closer attention to everyday life. How can we make ordinary less feel less repetitive?
Read now: The Guardian
Thanks for pausing for tea with me today.
If this helped, I’d love a quick comment, a heart, or a share. It genuinely helps this post reach more people who need a calmer next step.
Erica x
The Tea Mind is reader-supported. To get new posts (and support my work), consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.