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Lessons from My Tea Pet

In honor of the second birthday of a tiny clay turtle generously gifted to me, I am sharing a few lessons from my tea pet.

My Tea Pet’s Backstory

A small clay turtle teapet with a white shell next to a piece of paper that says: "Name: Bonsai. Birthday: July 23, 2022. Birth place: Snohomish, WA."

Bonsai is my tiny turtle tea pet. She’s slightly smaller than a quarter. If you aren’t familiar with tea pets–which are used by some people who drink tea in a style where they pour out the first rinse of some teas–my previous post on tea pets could be helpful.

Michell Hovey made Bonsai (and other clay tea turtles). She is a tea lover brimming with kindness and affection for small things. Many of us first learned about the sweet clay tea pets she made through the Instagram tea community by following Herb the Traveling Tea Turtle. (Find out more about Michell and Herb in this earlier post.) You can also follow Herb on Instagram.

Bonsai Shares Lessons

Bonsai is smaller than Herb and his siblings (except one other microturtle). Michell absolutely delighted me in the summer of 2022 by sending me Bonsai, her “birth certificate,” a sweet card, and some tea. According to her birth certificate, Bonsai came out of the kiln on July 23, 2022. Hence, she’s two years old the day I’m publishing this post. (You might have noticed that the white shell Bonsai arrived with–in the top photo in this post–is now a lovely brown from all the tea poured over it, as shown in the last photo in this post. The photo with the sunflower shows Bonsai’s shell on her first birthday.)

Image of sunflower, small clay turtle tea pet resting on a quarter, and a white porcelain gongfu teapot.

Bonsai has taught me many things. In honor of her second birthday, she said I could share a few of these lessons.

Lessons from my tea pet:

  • Little things can bring so much joy. Make sure to pause to appreciate them.
  • CommuniTEA is powerful, far reaching, and meaningful.
  • What you do colors your shell–we mean your life. So, take care what you immerse yourself in.
  • Tea time can be a cozy and restorative sanctuary if infused with presence. Be there with your tea when you sip it.

One more important lesson: don’t forget sharing is caring. Share tea with a friend when you can.

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