A Perfect Heart

I almost do not want to drink this cup of perfectly prepared matcha tea with oat milk. It was lovingly created by one of the baristas, a woman I count among my cafe friends. The tea is graced by a perfect white heart rising through green liquor and floating upon a frothy sea of rich matcha. I wonder about the care it takes to make this offering amidst the busyness of an early morning rush. I am deeply touched by this work of art skillfully crafted by hand and offered to a tea loving patron.

I know this event will come and go in the baristas’s memory as she has many other blessings to bestow on numerous cafe patrons. I must remember to tell her (and her team) how much the art is appreciated, how this gracious offering lightened the heart of one of many life travelers. Maybe she knows this already; that the simple act of serving coffee or tea is in itself a sacred gesture. She merely conducts the ceremony with unassuming grace.

Maybe, if our eyes are open, we might notice an ocean of perfect hearts conducting their unique rituals and making offerings. They make these gestures without a thought about how they are received—like a bodhisattva. Does a compassionate being even know they are being compassionate? They are simply be doing their work with humble kindness, a natural act when others become more important than oneself. 

All I know is this precious moment was graced by a perfect heart and I give thanks.

With gratitude 🙏🏼❤️