If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.

Well, here it is March and it DID come in like a lion!  We had BIG plans for weekend but, the lion reared its ugly, big head and with the winter weather back in full force our BIG plans turned into NO plans at all!  So, disappointment, a little anger, some sadness and frustration abounded – what to do to?  How to soothe that snowy winter cold, and the icy windy beast?

That’s when the notion of coping comes into play –  how to cope with the drastic upheaval of our plans? Coping is a vital human behavior, one that is necessary for successfully navigating through the challenging and often murky obstacle course that is unfortunately life. I found a great definition of coping online… “Coping refers to cognitive and behavioral strategies that people use to deal with stressful situations or difficult demands, whether they are internal or external.” I liked that definition because I realized that I had several behavioral strategies that I use to deal with stressful situations and one of them was making a cup of tea. For me tea soothes the soul and sometimes even the savage lion beast of March! Just the ritual of making tea is uplifting for me – especially this past weekend but, before all our plans went south so to speak, I purchased a TON of new teas that I’ve never had before (particularly two new black teas from Nepal and a white Pu’erh)!

Jesse Jacobs, the founder of Samovar Tea Lounge in San Francisco and a prolific writer on the benefits of ritual says…

“The simple act of brewing, sipping, and savoring tea leaves in a cup elevates you above the chaos in life today. Filling you with flavor, calm, and vitality, the tea ritual is a vehicle for both inner peace and health, and interpersonal connection and happiness” and I couldn’t agree more.  Jacobs further states… “This basic infusion of water and leaves connect the drinker from the moment to the artisan farmer thousands of miles away. And to the sun, soil, rain and wind that helped grow those very leaves. This simple experience allows the drinker to pause for just a moment, and to listen to their heartbeat. To perceive their surroundings and their life and to savor it all,” says Jacobs.

The entire process of making the tea… gave me focus, it slowed me down, it started me up, it connected me to the moment and got me OUT of the moment of disappointment.  So, the tea touched my lips and tongue and filled my mouth, and gently flowed down my throat and suddenly my whole body became warm, I closed my eyes and just was – still, calm and at peace and the nasty, big toothed March Lion was gone!

Did March come in like a lion where you live?