If we were having tea together I would tell you I am cutting sugar to 25 grams a day so I can kick a sugar addiction. I know getting hold of my health would have the greatest effect on my sense of well-being. I don’t want to be controlled by anything.

If we were having tea together I would tell you about my current efforts to get two kids in college next year: one to art school and one into Vermont’s dual enrollment program. My husband and I are going with our daughter to Maine College of Art to visit the school. He has a hard time thinking of taking on debt for her, since she is unlikely to be saddled with the complications of excessive wealth. I assured him there are plenty of ways for a skilled artist to be employed. She has a realistic view about the difficulty of setting up shop as a freelance artist. MECA already accepted her portfolio at a Portfolio Day recently, commending her on her advanced technique. (Her art teacher, Suzanne Nielsen, teaches classically.) They want to see her develop her own voice and I think they will help her do just that. It is easier when you have a good foundation.

If we were having tea together I would tell you how much I am enjoying writing for my blog. When I wake up, the thought of writing for my latest assignment makes my heart leap. WordPress has a Blogging University, offering several classes that challenge writers and provide an online community. I am taking Writing 101. The prompts not only suggest formats and topics I have not used, but also instruct me in some WordPress features. I still feel like I am talking about myself all the time and I would like to discover how I can serve the online community in some way.

If we were having tea together you would catch me up to date, and I would listen closely to what you struggle with and what tickles you. I would love to give you a safe place to unload. I imagine you dumping on the table all your clutter from a messy bag (your baggage, see) and sorting through it piece by piece, deciding what is trash and what is not. Maybe you’ll pack your load better after confiding in me.

If we were having tea together I would tell you how my older children are doing and how proud I am for making wise decisions. I would tell you about my youngest children and that I did not expect their education to actually be better than the ones who had a young homeschooling mother. I would tell you how grateful I am for Classical Conversations, and how it helped us all to relate every subject to the big questions addressed in philosophy. They are all going to be okay.

If we were having tea together I would serve my very own gluten free scones, small enough that I could have one and jam with it and not go over my sugar budget. I miss the scones from Rose Arbour, our local tea shop, and figured out how to make something not entirely unlike Suzy’s scones. I might not tell you they were made without wheat, but it would make me smile to watch you enjoy it. It’s good, yes?

Let’s do this again soon.