Absolute Tea

I let the delicate spring rain graze my head and nose as I walked to work on this calm morning. I would normally let this setup float the thought of coziness and comfort in a daydreamer's romanticized vision, like a painting titled Peace in Solitude, but in actuality it only irritated me... slightly. Perhaps it was the piercing presence of my new urban jungle I call home. I was quite heavy with sleep still, so when I got to work I made sure to pour some piping hot Earl Grey into my faithful mug.

Seoul may not be gentle, but at least I was set.

My morning was now officially underway when I finally realized my folly. I should have used my umbrella. Luckily I had a spare in my drawer for times of sudden downpours, being that winter's grip is all but gone. I really didn't like that my hair got a little wet because of the sniffles of a cold I'm trying to get over. If it was still raining after work I would definitely use it.

Of course it is at this moment that I really felt the dawn. It only took seconds of chatting with my Korean coworkers to remember.

The radiation.

Korea is really close to Japan. Was I just radiated? How much got on me? Will this give me problems in the future? Should I even worry? I researched. I discovered. I learned. I'm OK.

This got me thinking. It got me thinking about tea of all things. Specifically, what will happen with the tea culture of Japan? I know it's really small on the list of priorities, but if it's in the rain it will get into the tea, among other things. Tea is very much a way of life as is anything else in Japan. I know the current crop of Japanese tea is most likely safe, but I highly doubt the next batch will be publicly trusted.

As trivial of a thought this might be, I feel it's important to focus on these details that make us human. It makes us civilized. It defeats the primal urges that often make us animalistic and primal. Primal knows fear. Fear knows danger.