CHI (rhymes with sky)

I was overwhelmed by all the new impressions, the foreignness of Baghdad, the noises of war we’d sometimes hear, the tanks roaring through the streets, the sound of Arabic being spoken, the dust and sand in the air, the smell of lamb cooking.

One thing that became familiar quickly was the Middle Eastern tradition of stopping for Chi in the afternoon—tea. It is served in tiny glasses balanced on saucers because the glasses are too hot to hold on their own. It is very strong black tea with lots of sugar—so much sugar that you see a layer of it in the bottom of the glass. But it’s delicious. Everybody seems to drink it and usually more than one glass of it.

Afternoon Chi is something I looked forward to. The caffeine and the sugar and the fact that it was time to sit down and take a break.

I believe that breaks are the secret to long-life and happiness. Meditating twice a day is taking a break, and so is taking a walk, walking the dog, reading the paper, taking a bath, taking a nap—whatever it is that is different from what we do for most of the day.

I’m beginning to see that my reality has become old and tired and I’m looking for whatever it is that I should do next… when I take a break, or a glass of Chi, I take the time to maybe let that new reality make itself known.