Some days, you could be on the most beautiful white sandy beach, but walking it could still seem like an arduous grind. I have found that life, even when chock full of charm and blessings and abundant beauty still needs to be approached with plenty of measure. Years before plunging into my beloved North American lifestyle of go go go, I lived another life as a child growing up in Iran, where every afternoon would include a deliberate pause for freshly brewed tea. I remember the adults in the house (which seemed to consist of my mother, grandmother and an array of visiting family and friends) sitting for afternoon tea. It was a casual affair, but when I look back I can certainly recall an unspoken ceremony to it all. The tea was always piping hot. Always served in the same clear short glasses atop little china saucers, on the side of a heaping bowl of sugar cubes that wouldn't easily dissolve in your mouth. The conversation was always leisure