Holding the Sun

In the second chapter of Lu Yu’s Cha Ching, the holy scripture of tea, he remarks that the most potent leaves have creases that have held the sun which when softened release an aroma from the Beginning.

Mark Nepo

In the photo above I am smiling because the sun was shining. It lasted for about fifteen minutes, and for the rest of that four day trip it rained most of the time. My husband and I were hiking in the Olympic Rain Forest, so the weather was not totally unexpected, but it nevertheless was a rather challenging trip, beginning with the first night when it rained hard all night long, and our old tent leaked. The following day we packed up our soggy camp and continued up the trail towards the Low Divide. When we arrived in camp and began to unpack I discovered that the water reservoir in my pack had leaked and soaked my sleeping bag. It was more than just a little damp. I had to wring it out and watched the water stream onto the ground as I did so.

Still, there I was smiling and completely content with my journal on my lap and my teacup next to me. I do not ask a lot from life. I like my journal, my old Papermate pen, and cup of tea next to me. A little sunshine helps, even if it lasts for only fifteen minutes. Like the poem, the furled tea leaves have held the sun. I drink it in.

Shortly after my husband took that photo the clouds returned, and a light drizzle began to fall. Still, the sunlight had been sufficient to completely dry my sleeping bag. We spent most of the day in our tent, which did not leak so much in the absence of a heavy downpour. The following day we packed up our wet gear and returned a day early to the trailhead.

What I remember most about the trip however is that moment in the sun, how it dried out my sleeping bag in only a few minutes, how we were able to stay warm and dry inside of our tent, and how the tea and my journal created that moment of softening.

These are the moments we take with us when we leave the trail. These are the moments that unfurl like tea leaves, warming our hearts, that keep us sane when the news screams at us of war and famine and political violence. We need these moments in the sun now more than ever. Cherish them. Sip them softly. Let the warmth unfurl inside of you.