Breathe in the lemongrass, taste the ginger

The woven straw mat on the ground feels cool to your touch. Its prickly meshes tickle the flat underside of your fingers. Though your hair is still wet and cool from the shower you just took, round beads of sweat are already forming on your skin... like pearls... like those rain droplets you always find resting on the leaves of banana trees outside.


Odd thing how, here, the rainwater, the moisture in the air, and the sweat that pushes up through your skin all seem like one and the same. Water... All life here seems to come back to it, to bring movement to it and carry its vivid colors. The locals here believe that the unseen is all around us. But you know otherwise: this pure, blessed, water is that unseen.


Ah, the tea's almost ready! Your dark iron teapot is sitting in front of you. A fierce battle is raging in there, between the shy but eloquent lemongrass; the merry but fiery ginger; and the green tea, always the subtle diplomat. You wait patiently as the mixture settles.


Through the large open windows of the bungalow, your gaze wanders into the garden. The image is one of a lush, sensuous green natural world. Dark soil, palm fronds, ripened fruit, exotic flowers, insects and frogs, rain. A soft breeze has made its way in through the windows, caressing the ground and your bare feet. It explores the room, gently pushing the exotic aroma of the tea up against the walls, only to settle back down in its newfound nest of comfort... Through your shirt, the entire surface of your skin breathes in, welcoming the breeze. What a nice afternoon.

Ah, the tea seems ready. Let's add a teaspoon of brown sugar.

Bottoms up!