I feel like there have been mistakes all around me for the past couple of weeks. Some of them have been mine. I made a really large error that could have been really damaging to my company. Other mistakes were made by those I do business with, while others were by customers. What I have come to rest with is when I can either laugh at the mistake or be so grateful that there was a solution to make the mistake right, turn it around for good. Someone came to my rescue to correct my mistake, saving me from humiliation and my company from being really hurt. Has anyone helped you out when you’ve made a mistake? Even if it’s just when you spill a drink all over the floor and someone comes to clean it up for you, it’s reassuring to have that help.

So, how does this relate to tea? This is, after all a blog about tea, right? Yes. Tea is full of these stories as well, even its origins. While modern tea manufacturing and processing requires keen scientific and intuitive care to make it great, the legend has it that tea originated as a sort of mistake. The Chinese emperor Shen Nung, in 2737 B.C. is said to have been meditating one day and his royal cup of hot water was suddenly invaded by a single tea leaf that blew through the air into his cup. As it turned out, the steeped tea leaf tasted quite good and provided a lift in his meditation. So from then on, he deemed the drink healthful and good for all to drink. A mistake that turned out for the good of us all that love tea!

As you enjoy your tea today, consider thinking about mistakes you’ve made and how someone came to help you out to correct it or make a wrong become right. Hopefully, we can all laugh them off once the emotions settle and thank those that come to clean up our messes. Maybe today I can be one of those that helps correct a mistake for someone.

(The image I included is of my attempt to do gluten-free baking. This was supposed to be a fun lemon cupcake tea time treat that turned into a Gluten Free Fail! I laughed it off after I realized how much time I spent making nothing. But now I know a little bit about gluten-free baking!)