Tea, Slowly

I used to rush this part. Boil the water, dunk the bag, drink it on the way out the door. Somewhere along the way I started doing it differently.

Now I warm the pot first. I let the leaves sit longer than the box says to. I stand at the counter and watch the light change color while it steeps, and I do not look at my phone.

It is five minutes, maybe less. Nothing about my day gets easier because of it. But it is the one part of the morning that belongs only to me, and I have started to notice how much I miss it on the days I skip it.