#philosophyofmugs

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This is just a WHALE of a Monday! Hope you're all finding joy in today's work 😘 . . . #whalemug #whaleofatime #whaleofatale #wishiwasonmycouch #cozy #mugshot #philosophyofmugs

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Delicious New Year's Eve eve dinner with my wonderful parents. We sat and chatted about my grandparents, specifically my dads mother who left this earth a month ago. We shared memories and this cappuccino and it was marvelous. #mugshots #capuccino #memories2016 #family #philosophyofmugs (at Picarelli's Cucina Italiana)

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It's rare these days that I find joy in the peaceful Sunday spent studying. Most weekends lately I find myself filled with angst that I have to do school work rather than fill my days with friends, laughter, laziness or adventure. But today, this week, I find myself content and feeling lucky. I'm lucky that during this time of uncertainty in America I get to be in a space where I can discuss openly and honestly my concerns and ideas. I'm lucky that I have friends who like me, are looking for ways to move forward from this season positively and productively. So today I study, I nourish my mind and my heart, and I learn so that I can help to build a better, brighter tomorrow. #mugshot #happythankyoumoreplease #womenoftheology #strongwomen #nastywomen #philosophyofmugs

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Warm drinks causing even warmer hearts. That's the mission of #philosophyofmugs #mugshot

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When finals get you down, you HAVE to be able to know where YOUR coffee is at all times. Thanks @bcstm for helping tired grad students identify their coffee in this time of sleep deprivation and excessive studying! #philosophyofmugs #finals #thismugismine #keepyourpawsoffmycoffee #sorryforthethingsisaidduringfinals

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As Amy gears up for finals she asks that you not judge her for the amount of coffee she is about to consume... Pray for her while she powers through #pleasebekind #finalsaretheworst #philosophyofmugs #Yeiks

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Just like Duct Tape

The mug that makes me happy to write write write!

I've been using the lovely Philosophy of Mugs mug at work and I have to say the result is that it makes me feel cheery. Yes--cheery--like woodland animals are going to emerge singing and chirping from the cubicle next to me. It just makes me SO darn HAPPY!  It gets me thinking about this blog and what a joy it is to spin out random thoughts on life and mugs and hot droughts.

The mug made me realize recently that I have not yet blogged on the relationship that I have with tea.  I might be the resident tea-freak on this blog.  It's not that Amy and Katie don't drink it-- it's just that I don't really drink coffee unless I want to feel like I'm on a rocket-ship to the moon.  Thus, tea is my warm, delicious beverage of choice.  I'll drink any brand any time of the day. Just give me tea.

Tea has been an important aspect of my life for as long as I can remember.  I don't recall a time in which I ever turned down a cup of the stuff. For me there is the general liking of it -the smell, the taste, reading the quotes on the tags.  But then there is also a very spiritual dimension that I experience each time I drink it.

I think my most basic connection to tea comes from my grandmothers. Two strong, incredible women who have taught me much about life and how to gracefully adapt to its changes.  My Tutu and I would have tea parties with blueberry tea at a very young age, we'd dress up and she'd let me wear lipstick and eat shortbread cookies and fruit. My Grammy and I would later drink tea on her deck and enjoy the crystal Colorado mornings. That was what I looked forward to most when I would stay the night, those a.m. chats were where I really started to grapple with life and what it meant, the important things and how to have a relationship with God. It also meant story time!  Hearing about their growing up in Indiana or Connecticut, what they liked to do, all the silly ways that they made mischief and funny stories about their siblings. I felt so connected!  I knew that I fit into a family history.  I could begin to understand my place in the world over a teacup or wide-mouthed mug of Irish breakfast.

With Grammy on the deck enjoying a morning chat.

Nowadays, tea is one of the first things I turn to for a calming experience.  It keeps me chilled out and helps me take a moment, take a break to breathe and put things into perspective. I was walking down the street and just outside of a quaint little shop, I saw a sign that said "Tea is like Duct Tape -it fixes EVERY-THING!"  And it's so true!

It fixes everything.

Tea is something that soothes the soul, it also inspires and creates moments for reflection and connection.  It's great companion to a journal or a book, a fireside, a fresh morning, or a great conversation with a loved one. They say to be grateful for the little things, and for me, tea is one of them... truly a comforting life-long friend.

Hannah

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Practicing Imperfection

I love this mug because I made it.  I chose the colors, painted the flower, messed up the glaze on the handle... it reminds me of me.  Beautiful just as I am. Imperfect.  And lovely all the same. 

"Strength is made perfect in weakness.  Our infirmities create space for God's grace to work in our lives.  To be humble is to live out that experience of limbo with peace and gratitude, trusting that God will take care of us."

 Sometimes I tend to write things down, forget about them, and become surprised by them later on when I find them rooting through a purse pocket or between the pages of a book.  For example, the little blurb above is something I sketched out quickly while spending Thanksgiving weekend at St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, CO.  It was something I did not want to forget, the fruit of generous reflection and prayer.

Gorgeous much?

I've been feeling gratefully weak recently. Ever since I was a kid, I've had the conviction that strength is important.  I wanted to be, had to be, so strong for everyone.  My friends, my family.  I was a five-year-old-superwoman.  And somewhere in the last few months, I've really realized that I don't have to be so strong.  I'm allowed to mess up.  My mistakes will not be the cause of the end of the world.  And I've been thinking a lot lately about how our culture really gears us towards perfectionism and how I've absolutely found myself in a tangle over it sometimes. 

It amazes me how many inner voices seem to chime in at any given moment: "Take care of everyone!"  "Do more!" "Wear this!"  "Don't wear that!" "Go to grad school!" "Make it look easy!" "Don't let anyone see that you're scared!" "Everything should be effortless, and if it's not then you aren't working hard enough!"...

Even more amazing is that lately, I find my automatic response to this is simple:

"NO.  Enough."

No.  I'm done. I've had enough. I AM ENOUGH!!!!

And I'm sure that I am not a solitary human in this experience --goodness gracious, our world is starving for love.  There's a quote by Brene Brown... “I believe that owning our worthiness is the act of acknowledging that we are sacred.” Oh hell yeah! That's it! What I've finally begun to understand is that there is no possible way to truly be open to possibility, to love, to joy unless I am vulnerable and completely accepting of myself. Owning my worthiness. Owning everything In moments of grief and anger, and of peace and contentment. I may never be perfect, but this is what makes me real and there is such beauty in that.

This being said, I've been practicing imperfection.  And I love it. If I slip up, I just allow it to be.  I practice putting my mask on the table.  I practice loving myself instead of creating excuses or vowing to do better next time.  This is me!   And because of this, I've done very Hannah things! --I've picked up the ukelele in order to practice messing up. YES! To practice accepting mistakes with grace.  I've conquered a few songs here or there, and still look forward to incorporating more strumming patterns (What?! I didn't learn them accurately on the first try?! What kind of Ukelele player AM I?) And this is a process, nothing happens overnight.  Where would the fun be if it did? Not in my uke strings, I tell you... Nope, not there. 

You may have noticed that Katie, Amy, and I wrote a collective blog post on the themes that we chose for framing our lives in this next year.  I wrote that I would simply continue to live out this life of grace.  And this is truly my deepest hope.  I'm tired of trying to be perfect.  I'm done with that silly dance, with feeling like a porcelain doll sitting on the shelf, missing out so that nothing breaks. 

I'm so relieved to find myself actively releasing that phase of my life and continuing on the journey ahead.  I ask you, what would the world look like if we were all a little easier on ourselves?  What goodness would that release bring for you? What goodness would you be delighted to find in yourself and in others and in this wide and wonderful world? 

Alright, alright... I know. I'm a woman of many questions.  And so I will pester you with these questions no more for right now, but I will leave on a note just to say that I'm beginning to see that letting go is not as scary as it seems. And if you decide to do the same I'll be here for you, alongside you in the fight.

And, I know that we can do it. 

Much Love,

Hannah