[encore] 1332: Tea by Leila Chatti

Summary

Podcast Summary — The Slowdown: [Encore] 1332: "Tea" by Leila Chatti

Host: Maggie Smith
Date: December 9, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this encore episode, Maggie Smith focuses on the theme of self-care, exploring how intentional, compassionate acts towards oneself can serve as a form of daily devotion—akin to prayer. Centering on Leila Chatti’s poem "Tea," Maggie illuminates how simple rituals can help us reconnect with ourselves, foster self-respect and tenderness, and invite both reflection and hope into our daily lives.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Rethinking “Self-Care”

• Maggie reflects on how the term “self care” is often overused and commercialized, losing its genuine purpose (01:32).
  • "Self care as a buzzword is so overused it's nearly lost its meaning... I try to let go of those associations and focus on the words themselves. Self care. It's how we take care of ourselves, especially when life feels particularly stressful and challenging." (01:32–02:08)
• She urges listeners to reclaim self-care as an act of self-respect and grace, suggesting treating oneself with the same compassion offered to others.
  • "Maybe the ultimate self care is learning to give yourself the respect, the tenderness and the grace you extend to others. To love yourself the way you love others." (02:08–02:23)

2. Poetry Spotlight: "Tea" by Leila Chatti

• Maggie selects "Tea" as an example of self-directed kindness manifesting as a sacred ritual.
  • "Today's poem made me think about self care in a new way. It shows us how self directed kindness can be a sacred ritual like prayer." (02:23–02:41)

3. Reading and Reflection on "Tea"

• Ritual of Tea as Self-Care

  • The poem centers on the act of making tea five times a day, not only for physical comfort but as a conscious act of kindness to oneself.
  • "Five times a day I make tea. I do this because I like the warmth in my hands, like the feeling of self directed kindness. I'm not used to it. Warmth and kindness both. So I create my own when I can." (02:41–03:11)

• Acts of Presence and Self-Noticing

  • Chatti describes how making tea anchors her in her body and present moment.
  • "I must remind myself I am here and do so by noticing myself. My feet are cold inside my socks. They touch the ground. My stomach churns, my heart stutters. In my hands I hold a warmth I make." (03:35–03:58)

• Cultural and Spiritual Continuity

  • The ritual is tied to her heritage, paralleling the daily Islamic prayers with tea-making, underscoring both are forms of devotion.
  • "I come from a people who pray five times a day and make tea. I admire the way they do both..." (03:58–04:13)
  • "I think to care for the self is a kind of prayer. It is a gesture of devotion toward what is not always beloved or believed." (04:14–04:27)

• Struggles with Self-Love and Belief

  • The poet admits to intermittent doubts about her own worthiness and truthfulness, adding vulnerability to her practice.
  • "I do not always believe in myself or love myself. I am sure there are times I am bad or gone or lying." (04:27–04:41)

• Family, Generosity, and Colonization

  • The poem depicts the tradition of serving tea as hospitality, and references colonial attempts to suppress this cultural joy.
  • "If you were to visit, a woman would bring you a tray of tea at any time of day. My people loved tea so much it was once considered a sickness. Their colonizers tried, as with any joy, to snuff it out." (05:02–05:20)
  • "T ism sounds like a kind of faith I'd buy into, a God I wouldn't fear." (05:28–05:43)

• Choosing Life Through Small Acts

  • Chatti confesses the difficulty of daily existence, yet insists on performing the simple, repeatable ritual as a way to notice joy and survive.
  • "Most days I can barely get out of bed, so I make tea. ... I do the small thing I know how to do, to care for myself. I am trying to notice joy, which means survive. I do this all day and then the next." (05:43–06:34)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On true self-care:
  "Maybe the ultimate self care is learning to give yourself the respect, the tenderness and the grace you extend to others."
  — Maggie Smith (02:08)

• On self-directed kindness:
  "Five times a day I make tea. I do this because I like the warmth in my hands, like the feeling of self directed kindness. I'm not used to it. Warmth and kindness both. So I create my own when I can."
  — Leila Chatti, as read by Maggie Smith (02:41)

• On the connection of ritual, culture, and prayer:
  "I come from a people who pray five times a day and make tea. ... I think to care for the self is a kind of prayer."
  — Leila Chatti, as read by Maggie Smith (03:58–04:21)

• On survival and finding joy:
  "I am trying to notice joy, which means survive. I do this all day and then the next."
  — Leila Chatti, as read by Maggie Smith (06:14)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:32: Maggie’s reflection on the overuse of self-care and pushing past the cliché
• 02:23: Introduction to "Tea" by Leila Chatti
• 02:41–06:34: Full reading of the poem, with Maggie's reflective emphasis
• 05:02: Discussion of tea as a form of cultural love and resistance
• 06:14: Poem’s closing meditation on survival and joy

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Tone and Language

• Maggie’s delivery is gentle, thoughtful, and personal, inviting listeners into reflection.
• The language of the poem is intimate, vulnerable, and quietly powerful, blending everyday detail with philosophical depth.

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Final Thoughts

This episode of The Slowdown is a meditative exploration of self-kindness through the lens of daily ritual. Leila Chatti’s "Tea," as presented by Maggie Smith, becomes a gentle invitation to cultivate tenderness for oneself, to honor simple acts as sacred, and to recognize cultural practices as both resistance and self-preservation. For listeners, it’s a powerful reminder that joy and survival can be found in repetition, in heritage, and above all, in the way we choose to care for ourselves.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Hey, it's Maggie. This week we are revisiting some of our favorite poems and reflections from the season so far. We'll be back on Monday, December 15th with new episodes.

I'm Maggie Smith and this is the Slowdown.

Self care as a buzzword is so overused it's nearly lost its meaning. I know it looks like different things to different people. A massage, a yoga class, an afternoon off work to do something fun. But as the idea pops up again and again, I try to let go of those associations and focus on the words themselves. Self care. It's how we take care of ourselves, especially when life feels particularly stressful and challenging.

Maybe the ultimate self care is learning to give yourself the respect, the tenderness and the grace you extend to others. To love yourself the way you love others.

Today's poem made me think about self care in a new way. It shows us how self directed kindness can be a sacred ritual like prayer. Tea by Leila Shutti.

Five times a day I make tea. I do this because I like the warmth in my hands, like the feeling of self directed kindness. I'm not used to it. Warmth and kindness both. So I create my own when I can. It's easy. You just pour water into a kettle and turn the knob and listen for the scream. I do this five times a day. Sometimes when I'm pleased, I let out a little sound. A poet noticed this and it made me feel I might one day properly be loved because no one is here to love me. I make tea for myself and leave the radio playing.

I must remind myself I am here and do so by noticing myself. My feet are cold inside my socks. They touch the ground. My stomach churns, my heart stutters. In my hands I hold a warmth I make. I come from a people who pray five times a day and make tea. I admire the way they do both, how they drop to the ground wherever they are, drop pine nuts and mint sprigs in a glass. I think to care for the self is a kind of prayer.

It is a gesture of devotion toward what is not always beloved or believed. I do not always believe in myself or love myself. I am sure there are times I am bad or gone or lying.

In another's mouth. T often means gossip but sometimes means truth. Despite the trope, in my experience, my people do not lie for pleasure or when they should, even when it might be a gesture of kindness.

But they are kind. If you were to visit, a woman would bring you a tray of tea at any time of day. My people loved tea so much it was once considered a sickness. Their colonizers tried, as with any joy, to snuff it out. They feared a love so strong one might sell or kill their other loves for leaves and sugar. T ism sounds like a kind of faith I'd buy into, a God I wouldn't fear.

I think. Now I truly believe. I wouldn't kill anyone for love, not even myself. Most days I can barely get out of bed, so I make tea. I stand at the window while I wait. My feet are cold and the radio plays its little sounds. I do the small thing I know how to do, to care for myself.

I am trying to notice joy, which means survive. I do this all day and then the next.

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