Teatime truths

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If you asked those who frequently interact with me, they’d likely brand me as an extrovert. As a storyteller, I know that I often show up that way. I do find together time with small and large groups to be fun and fulfilling. The laughter. The exchange. One-on-one connective moments are also regenerating for me. I love the long conversations that I have with Chad, my partner. Lunch with a dear friend could go on for hours as far as I’m concerned. Those are my truths.

This is the moment in this little piece of writing where I feel pandemic pressure to say that the time alone in the past year and a half was the most savored. The most precious. Where I found myself. Truthfully, time alone in the pandemic period is quite unsettling for me. Lonely. Isolating. Just being and sitting with my emotions is unpredictable. I don’t know what might come up.

Enter from stage left lavender and tea. With their help I have become more comfortable in being alone during this anxiety ridden time.

They have become my friends and, especially when they join forces, they quietly wrap me up. I feel nested in their presence. I feel soothed. The creation for this Warmhouse Story quartet of tales pays tribute to them. As I wove together the branches and brambles, tied in the herbaceous botanicals and flowers, and let the teatime accoutrement lift into the leaves, I brought to life a little nook that, until now, just sat in my head.

You will notice in the imagery that there are two chairs in this place. There is also Lavender Tea. As I imagine sitting there alone with my cuppa, I can handle the empty chair beside me. In my mind, being alone in this cozy spot puts me in a place of serenity where allowing myself to feel a bevy of emotions is manageable (if not easy).

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My daydream about this vignette is that after I have time to just be, I am joined by a kind soul who would engage me in warm conversation. For this set of stories in The Parlor, The Curio Cabinet, The Warmhouse and the Drawing Room, I am joined by a maker that I much admire, Carla Sealey.

Carla is the creative mind behind Naked Clay Ceramics in the UK, and I have become enamored with her artistry and her person.

While far away in distance, I created this special place with her in mind. Carla’s mugs and teacups (and my favorite brass tea pot) live among the branches and blossoms pour out of the spout into more wonderful cups below. The scent of lavender, kent beauty oregano and tea all float through the air.

This little enclave is simple comfort come to life. An invitation to process emotions alone or with a dear friend. A spot to savor quite times where nature and things intertwine effortlessly as a shelter from the swirl of the world.

So, read on in the other rooms of this blog to learn more about these fine objects, the natural elements and Carla. I think that you will be glad that you did.


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Peace in my Palm

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Lavender in the Leaves