Lessons from China

Kazzy

Lessons from China

With the close of the Olympics I must admit that there were some things that got under my skin, like the 16 year-old gymnast (air quotes here) that was probably about 11.  Also, some of the vestiges of a corrupt government which played out in a couple of ways (think little girl singing at the opening ceremonies).

But at the same time I found myself staring in unbelief at the stunning opening ceremonies. So some of the spectacle was militant and almost scary?  The entertainment value was beyond anything I have seen before, and so I suspended any suspicion for those couple of hours.  If there hadn't been a live audience I might have guessed there were CGIs being used to replicate the performers.  It was simply unreal.

In one of the segments that ran on the Today show last week, the hosts had a Chinese woman on to demonstrate how to properly drink tea.  I will admit that if it had been a British guest I might have done a bit of eye-rolling, having lived there for 4 months and experienced their sense of ritual, which really translates into such strict rule-keeping that people sometimes get forgotten as rules must be obeyed.  But I digress...  In this Chinese tea drinking there are three steps to be followed.  First comes a short drink, to taste.  Second a longer one, to drink.  And third, the longest drink of all, to remember.  

I liked this idea of tasting, drinking, and remembering.  It was beautifully demonstrated and a wonderful metaphor for life.  Sometimes in life these three steps might be spread out over the course of years.  It can be analogous to getting older and wiser.  It can relate to developing relationships.  I just hope that in whatever way I choose to taste, drink, and remember, that I will leave a little room in the cup for unexpected moments.