A few days ago, I was in my favourite coffee shop where, after much persuasion, I was convinced to try their Japanese Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea. I say after much persuasion because I was reallllly looking forward to my cup of coffee. Anyone who knows me will confirm my serious propensity for a good espresso. But I didn’t want to be rude, so I (somewhat begrudgingly) agreed to give it a try. And honestly, I am so glad I did, for I was blown away. It was so different to anything I had ever tried before…at least in terms of cups of tea (don’t worry mum, your Sunday dinner is still top of my list 🙂 ).
I asked the guys to tell me a bit more about Matcha. They told me that it’s becoming more and more popular in recent times. Mostly due to its health benefits, as it boasts 137 times more antioxidants than regularly brewed green tea, one cup of matcha is equal to 10 cups of ordinary green tea in terms of nutritional content. Fair to say that it’s pretty powerful stuff…But how?
You see, like a lot of teas, including white tea, black tea, yellow tea and oolong tea, Matcha begins life simply as the Camellia Sinensis plant. So where then does it attain it’s superpowers from? Well, as it turns out, it’s all to do with how it’s grown. Unlike any other tea leaf, Matcha is grown in the shadows. As I listened on, a thought occurred to me…we work in exactly the same way. I believe that just as this, the most powerful tea, is grown in the shadows; so are the strongest people.
So basically what happens is, that humble Camellia Sinensis plant is thrown into darkness where it is forced to fight for its life. In order to survive, it has to soak up what little sunlight is available, so it begins to produce massive amounts of chlorophyll and concentrate it’s vast nutrients in it’s leaves.
After approximately 10 days of significant sunlight deprivation, the pressure is raised yet again. Sunlight exposure is reduced 90%. Surely that would be enough to kill the crop? There’s no way the plants could survive?! Wrong.
It’s at this point that they start to come into their own, and the magic really happens. They fight with every ounce of strength they have, their leaves begin to grow exponentially, maximising their surface area in an attempt to steal every little iota of sunlight that falls upon them.
And what’s left at the end of this process is nothing short of a masterpiece. The biggest, brightest, most colourful, powerful and nutrient rich tea leaf on earth. Matcha.
From humble, common beginnings, Matcha embraced the struggle and forged itself in the darkness. Using the hard times as a catalyst for exponential growth, eventually blossoming into the tea equivalent of a Marvel Avenger. In much the same way, we come from relatively shared, humble beginnings. Then at some point, as we journey through life, we are thrown into the shadows. Cast into darkness, where we are given the dignity of choice. Either to grow, or to die.
Some simply wither, give up and perish, crawl through life blind to their potential, destined to remain passionless and empty. Others run from the dark, they jump head first into the sun, where they quickly burn out, shrivel and are left as nothing more than a fragile wisp come end of day.
Then there are those who decide to employ the darkness, and use it to their advantage, just like their leafy counterpart. They see it for what it is, and decide to take action. To fight. To grow. To flourish. They forego expedience, they refuse to give up and fall under the weight of their burdens. These are the men and women who go on to achieve their dreams and fulfil their potential. For they will become nutrient rich, and have something of value to offer the world.
So the next time you find yourself in the shade, when the day is dim and life feels dark and heavy. Remember, darkness can be your friend, if you decide to let it.
Be like Matcha…