becoming the change

A few months before we moved to Stouffville, I discovered that some neighbours down the street had yerba mate (a traditional green tea of Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina) every afternoon from 3:30 to 4:30. Their friends and family all knew they were welcome, any day they happened to be around or felt like stopping by, and there would always be tea and conversation.

After joining in a few times I thought to myself: “What would this world be like if we all stopped for an hour, every afternoon, and drank tea, and talked with one another…?” And, recalling some wise words (“You must become the change you wish to see in the world” – Gandhi; “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single… um…coffee…” – Confucius, I think…), I decided then and there to make a change. To transform my life and the world around me.

To make conversation and hot beverages more of a priority.

So far, so good. There are various people with whom I have coffee regularly, and for whom I am very grateful... Last night I enjoyed conversation with some folks that get together now and then to talk about things musical, artistic, and churchly (though I didn’t so much enjoy the four and a half hours it took me to get home… traffic on the 401… don’t ask) … My son and I sit down for a snack and conversation when he gets home from school…

But I’ve had much less success finding someone close by who enjoys yerba mate. My spouse, for example, says it tastes like hay.

What happens when “the change you wish to see” tastes like hay?