It’s a quiet sick day at home. Animals are snoozing happily in the shade and I’m cozy on the couch, tending my feverish, achy self with guava juice and noodle soup and comforting mugs of creamy chai tea.

My friend Jack makes the best chai tea I’ve ever had. He makes it when our group of friends goes camping, and it tastes absolutely heavenly made in a little cast iron pot over the campfire.

chai whole spices

For my own chai tea recipe I add star anise and fresh ginger to the usual spice mixture of cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and cloves. Some people like whole peppercorns as well, but I don’t fancy it. And today I’m using whole leaf green tea instead of the usual black to boost the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

A batch is simmering on the burner right now. It’s such a comforting aroma and all those spices have such wonderful healing properties that it’s a lovely drink for someone feeling rather dreadful.

chai green tea

During these quiet moments I’m taking time to read good things, like this snippet from Susannah Conway’s recent 40th birthday post sharing things she’s learned in her first forty years:

“I believe that by being the best and most healed version of ourselves
we can truly make a difference in the world.
I’m not an activist or politician,
and I’m not able to have any direct impact
on the areas of the world where help is needed.
But what I can do is make a difference
in the small pocket of the world I call home.
I can live with integrity and be honest about my feelings,
even when they hurt.
I can put my whole heart into my work
and pay forward the generosity that was shown to me
when my world fell apart.
I can look after myself,
knowing that by healing my own hurts
I won’t be passing them on to anyone else.
In a society like ours,
filled with so many emotionally wounded people
acting out their pain,
this is possibly the most important work we could ever do—
heal our hurts so we don’t pass them on.”

I love that so much. And this gorgeous piece from Rainer Maria Rilke:

“I beg you…
to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart
and try to love the questions themselves
as if they were locked rooms of books
written in a very foreign language.
Don’t search for the answers,
which could not be given to you now,
because you would not be able to live them.
And the point is, to live everything.
Live the questions now.
Perhaps then,
someday far in the future,
you will gradually, without even noticing it,
live your way into the answer…”

Now it’s time to add the tea to my simmering pot of spices.

Wishing you a beautiful, cozy weekend filled with good, quiet moments and things that nourish your soul.

xo

Chai Green Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves
4-6 green cardamom pods, crushed
10 allspice berries
3 slices fresh ginger
2 pieces of star anise
4 cups water
1 tbsp loose leaf green tea (or more if you like it strong)
whole milk and raw sugar or honey, to taste

Directions:

  1. Add spices and water to medium-size pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  2. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
  3. Add loose leaf tea, remove from heat, and steep 3-4 minutes until it reachs your preferred strength.
  4. Strain into a large, favorite cup, add sugar/honey and milk to taste.
  5. Sip slowly and savor every drop.