Example Of Commonplace Essay

Everyday upon awakening in the morning, I stretch my arms, legs, do a backbend, and head downstairs for a cup of tea. This is a ritual which results in me spending twenty to thirty minutes in the kitchen every single morning. I spend thirty seconds staring at the tea kennel waiting for the water to boil and then another twenty minutes waiting for the tea to cool, enjoying its deliciousness, and gazing off into the expansive landscape of my back and side yards. The effects of drinking tea, whether caffeinated or not, and taking this time out of my morning are clear: I give myself a space to reflect and be in a calm state to head into my busy day routine. However, an aspect which is less apparent and more subtle, is the deeper significance of my kitchen; a seemingly insignificant commonplace in my daily morning regimen.
An important aspect of my routine, is what I do during the time it takes for the water to boil in the tea kennel. After pouring a few cups of water or reheating leftover water that was used previously, I reach into the cabinet and pull out our family’s tea box. We have a great array of tea due to our family’s travels and general love for tea over coffee. The type of tea I drink varies depending on my mood, level of tiredness, and even the season. I drink Good Earth’s Sweet and Spicy during the autumn months, Twinings’ Green Tea with mint during the spring or summer, Lipton’s black tea when I am in the mood for something regular, or one of the herbal mixtures that I have for a variety of ailments (liver health, calming tea, clearing digestion, etc) when I have a health issue that I would like to clear. Once choosing the tea, I place the bag in the mug, wait for the water to boil, and stand in the vastness of our kitchen space.
My kitchen is quite large, considering just three people live under our house’s roof. There are two entrances: one opening to our dining room and the other to our spacious living room. The walls are a subtle orange color, which was not my or my family’s choosing, but rather the decision of the previous owner (our landlord). In the corner, there is a wood-fired space heater which keeps our kitchen cozy during the cold winter months and on the adjacent wall, a sign reads “Give Thanks in Everything”; a subtle reminder to live in gratitude daily.
On one side of the kitchen, there are all the traditional appliances: refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, sinks, a granite island where we do our chopping, slicing, and dicing, and high stools to sit around and enjoy a glass of wine while the meal is being prepared. On the other side of the kitchen, there is a wooden table which seats five to six; some on padded wooden chairs and others are comfortable cushions on “booth-style” seats attached to the wall. It is here where I exercise my daily tea-drinking routine. I have made a haven for myself out of cushions and my ever so comfortable brown blanket which keeps me warm before the space heater fully warmed during the coldest months of January and February.
The combination of my kitchen setting, drinking warm tea in the morning, and taking a few moments to breathe, reflect, and think about the things I would like to achieve during the day, probably do have a profound effect on my daily experience. I am no expert to talk about my own disposition, but I would say that I am generally a calm and level-headed, even-tempered person. Even when things start to go wrong at school or work, or the stress builds to a high level, I generally take a calm approach to these obstacles and can get through them with minimal stress. Moreover, I rarely ever get tired during the day, both mentally and physically (unless I have just been to the gym, of course) and I would like to attribute these characteristics to my daily routine, which oddly enough, energizes me despite its relaxing qualities.
Sometimes while I am drinking my tea in the morning, I will read a newspaper or have a conversation with a family member if they are there in the kitchen too. But my favorite experiences in the morning, are when there is no one else around; just me and my mug, gazing outside of the large windows adjacent to our wood table, gazing off at the landscape of trees and sunshine. Occasionally I can hear our neighbors in the morning: a light symphony of “moos” and “ribbits” by my dear friends the cows and frogs. If it is early enough and warm outside, I am also greeted by the lovely sound of crickets.
It is these moments which I cherish close to my heart and have a subtle yet profound affect on my characteristics and daily life. Through practicing this routine daily, I think it has brought calm and clarity into my life and reduced my levels of stress considerably. I am not much of a spiritual or religious person, but this morning routine is just about as close as I can get to a secular form of meditation, but I prefer to call it a routine of “centering”: centering to bring me calm and focus to move forward into the day and do the best that I can do and be the best that I can be.