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A Tea Visit To My Neighbour
Yesterday afternoon, for the first time in a very long time, I had time to respond to the neighbor's invitation to come and have tea. It felt a bit strange, but I was happy with the invitation. It had been a long time since we'd chatted over a cup of tea due to various circumstances, and it was time. For me, it was time to go out again, even if it was no further than just the other side of the street. It's something different than seeing nothing but the walls of your own house every day of the week. And the warm tea and some pleasant conversations, sometimes with a laugh, and also a tear, that feels like exactly what I need after the emotional last weeks, ending with saying goodbye to Lana.
Last September, my partner and I cared for their three cats when she and her husband went on holiday to her home country, Canada, for the first time in years. And their idea had been to take us out to dinner as a thank-you for taking good care of the three cats. Unfortunately, when we returned home from the holiday, the neighbor across the street was ill. A persistent pneumonia threw a spanner in the works. Due to her diabetes and deteriorating resistance, one infection after another followed, and my partner and I both had to deal with some persistent complaints. All in all, I haven't gotten around to even having a cup of tea, and eating out still needs to be done.
The Health Problems Disappeared
When this all eventually started to normalize and the health problems seemed to disappear, we started to notice that our Lana was deteriorating fast, and I didn't want to leave her home alone anymore. So you can imagine that yesterday I was happy to finally be able to catch up again. As we sat together enjoying our tea we chatted about their trip to Canada and various other things. The past week, the rollercoaster of emotions, was also discussed and while talking I slowly felt myself becoming a little more human again. Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Of course, the sadness for Lana did not disappear immediately, but by talking about it with someone else like my partner, I was able to put it into perspective a little more and put it into perspective.
Presents From Canada
And then suddenly she comes up with a surprise. For my birthday last December, I had already received a beautiful calendar from her that she had bought in Canada. But that wasn't the only thing she bought for us, she also bought us socks with of course the Canadian Maple Leaf on the socks. Now I must honestly admit that I never actually had any idea what the Canadian Maple Leaf meant, or why this Maple Leaf is the National Symbol of Canada. So I just checked that. Did you know that it stands for the vast nature of Canada? When I read it like this I find it completely understandable. Canada is of course a country with a very extensive nature.
But the socks are not the only gift, there is also a combo tin with Maple Tea and Maple Cookies. And I loved that. A nice combo tin, and well... I can only say that I liked the tea AND the cookie. Unfortunately, it is not tea from maple leaf, but this is a black Ceylon tea infused with maple syrup. Nevertheless, it was a nice cup of tea and sparked the curiosity of my partner and me to pick some maple leaves ourselves this summer, dry them, and try to make tea from them. It should be possible!
Even In Difficult Times There Are Still Nice Surprises
It is in moments like these when you unexpectedly receive a gift that was bought for you in friendship and appreciation for who you are, that I realize that even in difficult times the world is still full of beautiful surprises. So I will enjoy the delicacies from across a distant border where I've never been before, and enjoy the little present for a while. Yesterday was a bright spot that made my last dark week a little lighter.
