Joy is a cup of tea and a quiet moment

For years now, I’ve kept a small magnet on my fridge. It shows an extended tribal family, people and possessions piled into and onto an old truck. Beneath the image is a quote by the composer Richard Wagner:

Joy is not in things; it is in us.

I’ve always loved this magnet. It warms and soothes me. It reminds me not to get carried away by task lists or the daily call of things that appear urgent. When I pause to look at it, something settles within, as if, for a moment, everything is right in the world.

Joy, when it arrives for me, often does so quietly. I feel it rise from my heart, light and buoyant, like bubbles, giving me a sense of ease, and quiet delight.

I recorded the Joy ritual in April 2025 on my family’s farm. The recording holds the warmth of early autumn sunshine and the morning song of willy wagtails. What surprised me was how present joy felt, and how long it lingered, simply from beginning the day in this way. It stayed with me as the day unfolded and I remember collecting pony manure for the garden, feeling genuinely light and happy about it.

If you’d like to tend your own relationship with joy, you might begin by putting the kettle on and sitting with this short, 12-minute virtual tea ceremony from the Tea Break Series. In the Joy ritual, you’re gently guided to arrive in the present moment; resting in your body, supported by your breath, with a cup of tea by your side. Through mindful sipping and simple reflection, space is made for ease, warmth, and lightness to emerge naturally. Sip by sip, joy is welcomed as it arises, grounded in the ordinary act of being here.

For this ritual, it helps to sit comfortably, somewhere quiet, with your tea close by. You may wish to pair the experience with herbs that naturally uplift such as lemongrass, spearmint, or rose petals, though this is entirely optional.