HAVE YOURSELF AN EARL GREY DAY
How to Have an Earl Grey Day
Step one: The time is 6:48am. Gently open your eyes, without the help of an alarm, to the view of sunshine streaming through your window and your purring cat curled up at your feet. Despite your room looking just the same as yesterday, it feels like you might have woken up in a fairytale?
Step two: Your feet are scuffling around in their shearling slippers, taking you to the kitchen where you find the plate of shortbread cookies you baked last night and the basket of oranges your boss sent as a gift. Something about this morning feels so light, so breezy. You place your vintage Le Creuset kettle on the stovetop. As you click on the pilot light, you decide to swap out your coffee in favor of some lavender-laced tea.
Step three: After the tea is drunk and the newspaper is read (can you believe there were no tragic headlines today?!), slip into some comfortable clothes and prance out the door to run some errands. On the sidewalk, say hello to your elderly neighbor Lois. She tells you she’s proud of you, gives you a kiss on the cheek, and continues her walker-supported stroll through the neighborhood. Flowers are blooming everywhere and the temperature is perfect. You feel at ease as you practically float into town.
Step four: After popping a few postcards addressed to long-distance friends in the mailbox, pick up a bouquet of pastel colored flowers at the florist. Next door, your favorite wine seller suggests a light orange wine to bring to your friend’s house later that day. Last, stop into your favorite corner store for a bite of chocolate, a bottle of milk tea, and a quick catchup with the cashier. As the afternoon turns a corner and you head back home, a breeze carries the scent of lilacs with you.
Step five: When you get home, peel an orange before curling up on the couch for a nap. Upon waking, gather up the wine and flowers, along with some shortbread, and head out to a quiet gathering at your friend’s house. On the way, drop those shortbread cookies off on Lois’ doorstep with a note saying “So grateful for you!”
Step six: When you arrive at your friend’s house, give big hugs to everyone present. A bergamot-scented candle will be burning and there will be charcuterie abound. Rifle through a cabinet in search of a vase for the flowers you brought while your friend pops the cork on the wine you picked up earlier in the day. Everyone crowds around a coffee table with their snacks and wine, feeling closer than family, spilling their secrets and greatest hopes.
Step seven: On your walk home, notice the glowing moon and tree leaves rustling in the wind. Smile. Take a bath, make a cup of tea, and slip under your duvet. Embrace how supported, how grateful you feel, and drift into a peaceful slumber. Tomorrow, you’ll be ready to do it all over again.
