I have both observed, and participated in The Japanese Tea Ceremony. The exquisite way each article was handled, and the reverence with which this ritual was performed were both striking and profoundly calming. With origins over a thousand years ago it developed and gained a meaning of its own, separate from its inclusion in a formal or celebratory meal. In particular becoming the focus of Wabi-Sabi, the confluence of the inner spiritual self, with the outer material world.
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In the grace of hospitality, performed with balletic precision, can be experienced the personal imperfection of our nakedness, contrasted to the apparent value we place on adornment and show. In the of offering a bowl of green tea, we are given something that has been elaborately prepared, with all the sentiment our host possess, but in a plain bowl whose only decoration could be an imperfection in its making. Having its beginnings in Zen Buddhism has given this practice a spiritual foundation, an uplifting communion of soul and culture.
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In the home of an elderly, though nihilistic, relative I am offered coffee when I visit. It is expensive coffee of a kind I could never afford, and is a welcome change from the instant granules found in my own home. Water is measured into the kettle so that no more electricity is used in its boiling than is absolutely necessary. The exquisite Bodum is scalded with a splash of water the moment the water is up to temperature, ready ground coffee is added to the warmed container and just covered with an inch of water and left to steep for a few minutes.
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The remaining water is then used to top up the jug and the lid is attached, the plunger being depressed after a suitable period of infusion. This process is always accompanied by a constant commentary expressing disappointment in the lack of socialistic principals in government, both local and national. Ironic because the house where this all takes place is privileged, secure, and comfortable though not extravagant. There is no real welcome here.
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Things are done religiously, both for the sake of the observation of ritual, and because it is our need. Just as each morning, I begin my day with thoughts of you, and even say a brief prayer for your happiness. I know neither of us will have exactly the day we would wish for, who does, but that does not prevent me asking, on your behalf, for everything to be at its best for you. I have no need to ask on my own account, I am blessed with the your love, and I could not ask for more.