Reader, welcome to Afternoon Tea! As a self-confessed hopeless romantic and anglophile to the highest degree, it is one of my deepest sorrows that I am not one to regularly partake in the privilege that is afternoon tea. Although I often enjoy a cup of Earl Grey on slow afternoons, my chipped mugs and sliced bananas are poor substitutions for the Spode china and brilliantly colored petit fours that would abound in an authentic ceremony. As such, I invite you to a virtual celebration of the elegant pastime that begs us to appreciate beauty and focus on being present. Here, you will find a somewhat jumbled collection of my revelations, reflections, and that which I relish from the week. So please, brew a warm pot of tea, procure for yourself an array of scones and biscuits, and peruse with me what is lovely in life.
Thanking the Academy
What does it mean to thank the Academy? To do so is to extend a breathless word of overwhelming appreciation to a higher power, to a force second only to the Universe in terms of its ubiquitous and enigmatic presence. As such, here you will find my own earnest appeal to make my gratitude known – a profound and dreamlike thank-you to that manifestation which is omnipresent, alluring, and all-encompassing.
- Friends. Today I am especially grateful for friends. I have walked the line between social butterfly and recluse for much of my life, and I feel incredibly lucky to have people in my life for whom I am left wanting when we are apart.
- Protein Oatmeal and omelettes, and the way they make my mornings that much better.
- An evening spent comparing personality test results.
- A collective breakdown over a difficult quiz, which was not at all conducive to an increased understanding of the material but did assure my classmates and me that each of us was confused as the others.
- Once again… ice cream. And udon noodles.
- A return to morning workouts after taking a few weeks off and going about my day feeling stronger, more alert, and more ready to tackle that which challenges me.
- The film Chicago and its standing as one of the best movie-musicals of all time.
- The support of my peers before, during, and after a workshop performance.
- An afternoon spent creating the single greatest Buzzfeed quiz to ever grace the internet – https://www.buzzfeed.com/lettiedyer/which-member-of-txst-24-are-you-33wcf5dht0
- Evenings spent screaming over the cinematic masterpiece that is Pirates of the Caribbean, and the subsequent days of listening to the score ceaselessly.
- Waking up in my own bed to blueberry muffins and a beautiful blue sky.
- Evening walks with my family.
- Irrepressible smiles.
- A beautiful bouquet of spring flowers on my bedside table when I arrived home.
- The grace of my sister when I suddenly decided to cancel our weekend plans in favor of staying in.
- A sudden burst of inspiration to become a culinary savant and master of the French language after watching Ratatouille with my mother and sister.
- A relaxing hike to a picturesque pond with my professor and classmates, all of whom I simply adore.
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things…
In an unending effort to live just as my icon, Ms. Julie Andrews, below you will find my own weekly compilation of that which brings me just as much joy as “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens”.
- These perfect pajamas take the cake for this week. Next time my friends and I have a dorm room sleepover I know exactly what I will be wearing.
- This sweet, easy dress which would be perfect for summer days and spring picnics.
- “American Pie” by Don McLean has been the soundtrack to my life this past week. The song has been impacting me more profoundly lately than it has in years past, and with the exception of those few aforementioned days during which I listened solely to “He’s a Pirate”, “American Pie” has been in my earbuds ceaselessly.
- The Happy Crackers Instagram page, which, besides being simply beautiful, puts me in a delightfully festive mood.
- This lovely dress, which feels very Kate Middleton.
- These precious chopsticks (and these more affordable – though equally darling – ones). I never was able to use chopsticks until my roommate kindly (though somewhat forcefully) insisted she show me how to do so, and now I must say I am thoroughly obsessed with them. Chopsticks make a meal much more fun, not to mention the use of such delicate utensils forces me to abandon my bad habit of eating more quickly than my mother considers polite.
- This fabulous party dress for which I have no use but want to wear badly. For some reason, in my mind it is a frock reminiscent of the campy, brilliant gowns of the Marie Antoinette movie (another of my Favorite Things, and a must-see film).
- The delicious ginger turmeric tea gifted to me by my grandmother which has brightened my mornings and helped me through dull afternoons.
- These sneakers, the wearing of which I imagine would make me feel like the protagonist in an 80’s movie… an idea which is not entirely unattractive to me.
- This etiquette book, written by the owner of one of my favorite Instagram accounts, that of Mrs. Myka Meier.
Seven-Day Design
A word (or two) of wisdom to guide the upcoming week.
Immortal Echoes
- “He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice that tells you can, that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you are meant to be doing at this moment in history.” – Simone Ledward Boseman on behalf of her late husband Chadwick Boseman, accepting his Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Award.
Evanescent Intentions
- This week, I will live with presence.
Does the above quote not carbonate your desire to live greatly, Reader? It does mine. Reading Mrs. Boseman’s words, I want nothing more than to be someone who is altruistic to the greatest degree, wholly devoted to her work, creating powerful art and sharing it with joy. I can think of nothing more wonderful.
Last week, I vowed to pursue a sense of balance. To what degree I achieved that goal, I am not certain, as I still feel challenged by finding the split between my priorities. There are so many hours in the day, and yet so many more things I want to do, see, and experience… sleep not included. I have realised I tend to approach my work with the desire to conquer everything at once, a tactic which leaves me feeling overwhelmed, burnt-out, and confused. Such is an unproductive and inefficient way of working, and therefore I am going to adopt the new strategy of making several small changes at a time, as opposed to leaping headfirst into the belly of the beast. Finding balance in my life is proving to be a challenge, but it is a challenge I am excited to explore further.
This week, I want to live with presence. In trying to devote myself to so many things, manage my anxieties, and still operate at a semi-functional level, I have developed a tendency to close myself off to living in the moment. Such is a defense tactic, as to be truly present is to relinquish control over one’s life, as well as to embrace a sense of total vulnerability, both of which are rather frightening endeavors. Even now, as I write, I feel myself only partially focused on these words, my attention being divided between the honest expression of my thoughts and the many things I still have yet to do, or have already done. To further exacerbate an already-exhausting situation, I am entering the week before my Spring Break; which is to say, my motivation is waning, and I am now days away from reaching the benchmark signifying the completion of three-quarters of my Freshman year – a terrifying prospect.
All this to say: it has been a wonderful week, and wonderful semester, and a wonderful year, though not an uncomplicated one. However, an overarching ideal of mine for 2021 is to stop waiting for various obstacles to be “solved” before embracing what is before me, and to put an end to my current approach of viewing opportunities as steps to be checked-off on the way to reaching a larger goal, which, upon achieving, I will begin truly living. It is this idea I will work to hone more deeply during this week, as I pursue presence. I will not seek to rush through experiences, project forward, or ruminate on the past, but will breathe in each moment as it comes and acknowledge it for what it is – an instance to be appreciated and accepted and treated as a chance to learn. I am making it a goal to journal and meditate for at least five minutes daily, and to check in with my breathing and the tension in my body throughout each day.
Presence is such a vital aspect of a vibrant life, and yet so often it is the first thing to disappear from my own. This upcoming week, as I continue to explore balance, I will weave into my journey an intentional desire to be present. I believe these two forces to be tightly interconnected, and it is my hope that as I make adjustments to one, the other will be positively impacted by correlation. I suspect presence is yet another intention which I will need to carry with me beyond just this week, though I look forward to the discoveries I will make in the days to come.
I hope you, Reader, have had a lovely week as well, and that you are nearing a break of your own – and if you are not fortunate enough to be afforded a week’s holiday from work, that you take the time to do something you truly love. Until we meet again, from my screen to yours.
Love,
Lettie Anne