For me, turning on the kettle has a relaxing quality about it. The sound of the water boiling. The teabag resting in the ceramic cup. The clanging of the spoon as it stirs the milk and sugar. Maybe it's because tea was the drink of choice in my house growing up.
As Roma Downey once said, "Growing up in Ireland, when my family received important news, good or bad, we would boil water and make tea. It was the first thing I did when my father died in 1984. This ritual allowed me a moment to take in the enormity of what had happened."
For others it's a walk around the block. Or a snuggle with a four-legged friend. It could be turning the pages of a great book. Or a long, hot bath.
These are all ways to reset ourselves. To symbolically "count to ten" before we react to the world around us.
Refueling our mind is an imperative step that we owe ourselves as we move through life. It's the path to clarity and perspective. Acceptance and peace.
It's the only way to live our best life and offer our gift to the world. As Wynonna Judd once said, "You have to fill your cup. You then give away the overflowing, but you keep a cupful for yourself."
As you face the struggles and challenges that are inevitably part of life, always remember to take a moment for yourself. And put the kettle on. Because as Arthur Wing Pinero said, "Where there's tea there's hope."