{tea + life}

the mall is ok. they only play horrible music and everyone's in a mega-hurry and stuff, but there's a david's tea there too, so it's ok.

if you're a germophobe like i am, you enter through the revolving door, pushing it with your elbows and praying that no one will try to squish in there with you. it happens sometimes, though, anyways, and then you pretend that the warm breath directly on the nape of your neck is, you know, not.

it's ok. it's ok. it's ok.

you're kind of crazy, you know that?

but the point is not that.

the point is that once you're through the revolving doors, you're fine. you go straight, you ride the escalator to the top. you step over a spilled smoothie from the booster juice around the corner, and you wonder why that girl under the five layers of eyeliner is glaring at you but try not to dwell on it.

you take your first left and it's only a few steps. it's like a secret garden in the midst of a 500-child daycare centre. the air is either a few degrees cooler or warmer than in the rest of the mall--in a good way. everyone is relaxed and smiling. mother mother's new disc is spinning over the sound system. you're greeted by a girl with dark-rimmed glasses and long brown hair. she hands you a sample of the gelato lime iced tea.

so enough about you.

the other day, as i stepped into the oasis in the desert that is david's tea, the brown-haired girl met me with a smile and the usual tea sample. then she held out a tea tin: "smell this. it's spicy chocolate rooibos."

i did. it wasn't horrible, but it wasn't very good--i wouldn't ever drink it. i was honest with her. i always am. she can take it.

she reached behind the counter and pulled out another tin. "k, don't love it? smell this one. it's banana chocolate rooibos."

i breathed it in, grinned. "mmm...i like that one. a lot."

she laughed. "that's usually what people say. funny thing is, they're the same tea--you smelled the same tin both times. they're actually changing the name from spicy chocolate to banana chocolate permanently because it's selling better."

it's pretty astounding how much your idea of what you think you're going to like actually influences your sense of smell and taste. it's probably true of all your other senses too.

and in that case, it's easy to see how positive people generally have better life experiences. the more things you think you're going to like, the more things you will like. it's pretty much a magic formula.

so, i guess the rule is: decide beforehand that you're just going to like everything. and then if you honestly don't like something, don't worry about it.

but the point is not that either, actually.
the point is that this same day was the day i was introduced to chocolate rocket mate tea. chocolate and raspberries. and it's so amazing i'm going to die.