I picked up another teapot and a wooden box of assorted teas at Winners this afternoon in preparation for my second tea party. I'm slowly accumulating a decent tea collection. I can now offer friends green tea (several varieties of the Japanese green teas I favor as well as jasmine tea), black tea, red tea (rooibos), and fruity infusions. Most of my teas are organic, and they smell *wonderful.*

I wish my mom and my godparents were here. They'd enjoy tasting all these teas...

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You discover yourself through your choices. One of the things I like about having my own place is learning more about who I am by looking around me. My rent is relatively expensive--a much larger chunk of my budget than it used to be--but for a year, it's worth it for the self-discovery.

Today I learned that I love choosing flowers for my parties. I enjoyed browsing through the bouquets and potted plants at the Dominion supermarket and at the flower shop on Bloor, both near my apartment. I was thinking of getting something bright and colorful - to celebrate spring! - but none of the bouquets particularly struck me as worth the price. Instead, I bought a pot of Easter lilies, a timely and fragrant decoration that matches my white glass coffee table and my beige pillowcases. I love the smell of lilies, although the flowers on the Easter lily I bought today aren't nearly as fragrant as the stargazers I received before.

It may seem like such a frivolous thing. Flowers will wilt, and even potted plants probably don't have much chance for survival given my inexpert thumb. But I like it, and I think other people like that I like it. I've come to appreciate little touches of elegance: the graceful curves of my water jug, the clever construction of my tea pot's built-in tea ball, the clay glazes on the cups I bought from the Japanese shop near Kensignton Market.

More than that - everything has a story. I don't buy things so much as I buy stories and smiles and excuses to reach out... I splurge on quality ingredients and small gifts for other people. It's wonderful to discover that one can live elegantly even on a small budget. I'll see about managing my money even better so that I can save and donate even more and so that I can share more of this abundance with others.

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