Tea and Truth: Sipping and Writing

Yesterday was a special day for me!  After a year of thinking about it, I hosted a small writing group.  It's something I've wanted to do since being in China.  I'm grateful to the participants who bravely shared their writing and gently offered feedback about where this idea could grow/go.  (To see a few Tea and Truth writing prompts, go here.)

I enjoyed playing the hostess.  I put together gift bags for the writers (above), with a few chocolates and tea, and envelopes that I've recycled from old calendars. 

We began the workshop with introductions over tea.

I chose an aged oolong tea because I wanted a tea with a lot of depth (a metaphor for these women and our writing).  I had hoped that the tea experience would be a nice way to settle into the group, and I think it worked well.  This time helped us form community and provided a comfortable starting place for me.

We enjoyed a few nibbles, including these almonds, dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in matcha.  I'm showing them just because they're pretty.  "-)

I owe much to the Women Writing for (a) Change group in Bloomington, IN.  In that writing circle, I fell in love with writing in community and learned how to take writing risks and trust in myself.  I also learned to trust my writing in the ears and hands of others.  This stone heart (found on an OR beach) represents trust and gratitude.  Yesterday we passed the stone as we shared our writing.

We wrote and shared, each following her own thread.  I am humbly reminded how quickly time passes when one is in the "flow" - that dimension of time that can't be explained.  When the clock made it round to our final 30 minutes, we celebrated with glasses of sparkling tea and a discussion of the day.

Now I'm rich with good feelings.  I'm sorting through the ideas and thinking about where I want to take this.