Tea with T.

Beauty is as Beauty Does.

My teenage daughter is enrolled in a Women’s Health class at our local community college and for a recent assignment had to write about beauty.  I do not know what the requirements of the paper were, but I did get to read the response, since I’m the one that pulls the papers off the family printer (it’s one of the small perks of being the grown-up).  While I do not know the What & Why of the paper, I loved the gist of it… what makes someone beautiful.

The paper spoke of how people use the word “Beautiful” for many things found in nature, art and a multitude of other nouns, and how there are multiple synonyms for what’s being described and how they can apply to all of our senses.  My girl then pointed out that words like “skinny, thin, flawless, tan, blonde” are not synonymous with beauty and that many of the descriptive words people use when describing who they consider to be “beautiful people” apply only to what is seen.  My daughter went on to say that to her, beautiful has very little to do with what she sees and that if she were “blind from birth” she would have the same criteria she does now, things like: 

Read Me.

Like Alice in Wonderland's many treats with tags that read "Eat Me" or "Drink Me" -- today I invite you to lose yourself down the rabbit hole of other writers.  Through a very fun tunnel that calls itself, the Ulitmate Blog Party 2012.

 

For those of you new to Tea with T. here's a bit of info. about what you're getting into:

Tea with T. Katz was started years ago with the intention of being a place for a bit of tea and conversation served by me, someone who has been called “an absorbent observer” over the years.  I have collected a lot of stories and experience -- from time spent in the music industry; television production; teaching piano; being a mom; and just being related to some of the wackiest people on the planet – and I allow all of this to brew and steep, until its ready to be served.  These tales, like the multiple varieties of tea are sometimes spicy, sometimes sweet and rarely, if ever, bitter.  You guys get to be the judge of whether what’s poured is hot, cold or downright i.c.y. (I’m a storyteller, not a saint).

What you will never get from me, is poetry.  Like Haikus.  But, just to assure you that you're not missing anything... here's one for the road: 

 Tea Haiku:

Complicated life

Cannot change a bloody thing

Tea makes all seem sane

Patience, patience.

The Chinese Philosopher Lao-tzu said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  Well, that’s just great.  But, what if I’m just about done with the ridiculous treadmill of a journey I’ve been on and would like to stop now?  I’m tired.  Where’s the wise philosopher who will tell me exactly how many steps are left before I can finally catch my breath and rest? 

Some unknown wiseacre/smart alec/philosopher (it’s often a minor difference, no?) said that “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But, to keep going when the going is hard and slow -- that is patience.”

For the most part, I am pretty patient, but when you think about how I was raised it’s rather surprising, really.  The elders fed me pudding in a cup, instant breakfast and Tang, for crying out loud.  Then they went and invented the microwave!  They are, after all, the folks who set the standards of impatience and there wasn’t much in life I was really expected to wait for.  Is it any wonder I grew up chomping at the (just add water) bit?

Autism Awareness - Homeland Preparedness

April, according to the powers-that-be, is Autism Awareness Month.  As the mother of a 15 year son with autism, every day is another day to discover new things about autism and I do like to say that we strive to find the “awe” in the middle of it all.  In addition to Autism Awareness Month, April is also historically the month of showers that precedes May flowers and the color chosen to symbolize Autism Awareness Month is blue… ironic, because both are adequate symbols of the occasional tears and sadness that come with autism.  For both parent and child.

 

While I’m happy that autism has its own month, research foundations, catchy slogans and bumper stickers, autism and I are not friends.  I don’t like it, not one little bit.  It is, at times, terrorizing.  There’s a long list of things that I don’t care for about autism, but in particular the rage-filled anger, anxiety and the self-injurious behavior that comes with my son’s inability to communicate (which sometimes overflows and hurts me) are the things I truly dislike.  You may have heard, but the word “hate” is not one I use loosely, and honestly, I can’t even say that I hate autism… because I love my son.