Sunday, September 20, 2015

Rituals

The summer has gone in the blink of an eye, once again it seems.

I look outside my window as I'm typing this, and see the tinges of gold and amber working their way through the trees.

Autumn always makes me feel nostalgic, ushering back memories of waking up at 6am to sleepily head to school. New notebooks, sharp pencils, fresh minds and outlook. As one season comes to an end, a new beginning is ushered in.

It's been years - 6, to be exact! - since my back to school (including grad school. Whoa, 6 years already?!) days have ended.

I don't pack school bags anymore, but there are still ways of marking seasons, acknowledging the end of one while welcoming the next.

Such as beverages :)

This summer it was all about cold water with lemon, coconut water, ice-cold berry smoothies.

I made my first cup of spice chai this morning. The air was cool and refreshing when I opened the windows, a breeze dancing its way through the leaves. My first thought was - it's a perfect day for a hot cup of chai. 

Out came my packet of chai, black tea leaves packed with abundant amounts of spices, whole cardamoms proudly punctuating the mix. The heady aroma was a perfect complement to the scene outdoors. To the tea, once it was steeped, I added a tiny bit of honey, and just enough milk until the white clouds found their way to the top of the cup.

We have a few days of warmth left to us yet, the true cold lurking behind the scenes until its time has come.

In the meantime, this cup of tea is a comforting and reassuring way to welcome the season. I'm looking forward to many more.

What are some of your morning rituals? What do you do to welcome new seasons?