the great tea crisis of 2016

It’s finally happened. Three days ago I ran out of milk! I knew this day would come and I dreaded its arrival. I have now consumed several cups of unmilked tea and I’m feeling nervous – will life be the same without milky tea…..

Luckily, I don’t have many ‘addictions’ that have made living without money difficult. My weakness for warm, sweet, milky drinks has been taunting me. I have been happy enough to decrease, give up and give away many things to be as low impact as this. I had always thought that this choice to live low-impact and moneyless was not about making myself really uncomfortable. I’m not trying to be some sort of ascetic.

I had thus far been able to use old powered milk that was no longer wanted by the people who had purchased it. We were going to milk the sheep on the farm for a very local, sustainable source, but that didn’t come to pass in my time there. My friends or my daughter would happily just buy me more powdered milk if I asked for it – in fact, I think a friend did buy me some a while back in a moment of weakness! Powdered milk is a high impact product and, therefore, according to my fairly loose ‘rules’, anathema to my world.

As for the other ingredients in these drinks:

The tea I have been using has mostly been rejects from friends – when they have tried a new variety that hasn’t passed the test. I had some given as a Christmas present too. As a result of consuming these leftovers, and because my previously favoured dandelion or rooibos is not so readily used or rejected by friends, I have inadvertently become a consumer of tea like never before and possibly have an addiction to caffeine now! My nervous system may be shot but at least I have still been able to have warm, sweet drinks!

The hot water has been easy enough to come by (boiled on the rocket stove at the farm or in a jug using solar power). The honey is local and usually supplied by my lovely friend, Joline, as a kind of gift for my help at her cafe.

My special someone has just been here for a visit and helped me finish off the last of the powdered milk. He then bought some milk which was partly wasted because I refused to turn on the fridge just to keep the milk cool! That’s a story for another time….

So where is this story heading?

I’m sitting here in the warm Byron winter sun with a cup of sweet black tea that is actually not as bad as my imagination had planned it to be. Can’t complain about that! I feel happy in the knowledge that very few beings were harmed in the making of this beverage. I am achieving my goals and doing so now without milk!

Truth be told, Joline, being the kind, caring person she is, recently bought some powdered milk to give to me (she understands my addiction). I politely turned her down but now I’m rethinking that decision…….

 

 

 

Be content with what you have. Rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you – Lao Tzu