The title is a line from the song Pretty Things by Rufus Wainwright. The song popped into my head while I was in the bath. You’ll see why…
As I was soaking in the hot bath (a little too hot, so it got cut short) I was sipping on my delicious coffee filled with peppermint mocha creamer. But more than I was appreciating the taste of the coffee, I was appreciating the beauty of my coffee mug. I have a thing for coffee mugs. Pretty coffee mugs. I have a large cabinet full of them. I have a few favorites and my coffee or tea always taste better when I use them. It is a fact that the prettier the presentation of something, the better it tastes. If you read my post about cupcakes you will remember this. The mug I am using today is orange on the bottom & ivory on the top. It has 2 thin blue lines circling the mug, one near the top of the orange and one near the center of the ivory. There are olive green vines and flowers that not only cover the outside surface of the mug, but also wrap around on the inside, so I can enjoy them even as I am sipping. I appreciate this extra bit of beauty the mug offers me. It does not go unnoticed, not for one single sip. This is one of my favorite mugs, for obvious reasons. I have another favorite, which was a gift sent to me by Ulrike, the mother of my German son. It is a beautiful ivory mug with handpainted blue flowers. It is lovely and has a special place in a separate cabinet. My 3rd favorite mug is from the Dean & Deluca store in NYC outside of Rockefeller Plaza (the one you see on the Today Show). It is special because it reminds me of a very fun trip with my friend Teresa …plus I love the shape of it. It has a wide base and a narrow opening. It’s just cool. Plain & simple. Oh, I also have a 4th favorite and that is the one I bought at the original Starbucks in Seattle. Somehow the handle cracked on my flight home, but that’s ok, I still love it just the same. That mug is in the original post of this blog. You can go see it if you want :)
I do not own many fancy things and I rarely spend money on myself. But if I see a mug that I know will enhance the flavor of my coffee or tea, I have a hard time resisting. We all need to have these things. Things that makes us feel better than we would feel without them. My coffee would have been fine this morning in any mug or even a plain white paper cup. But because my mug is so pretty, my coffee is better and I’m happy. It seems silly, but it’s not. You’re probably wondering why I’m even taking the time to write about something as mundane as a mug. But it’s more than that. It’s about appreciating beauty in something and letting that feeling enhance your experience.
I hope you all have something that does for you what a nice mug does for me. Hopefully you take the time to appreciate the beauty in many “ordinary” things. Don’t wait for a rainbow or a walk through a museum to see beauty. It is everywhere. Even in our kitchen cabinets.
