Tea & Cookies — Donna Hopkins

Because I couldn’t decide which version of this photo I like best, there are two notebook entries for this collection of tea infusers. We love what we love, and for me, things that combine form and function are the most beautiful.

I drove an hour to the Jackson and Company Market in Gordonsville to buy this little stack of homemade cherry almond cookies. I savor one each night with a cup of decaf Lady Earl Grey tea.

It’s no small thing to take care of myself in all of these ways. Some difficult and uncomfortable: putting my work in this space and letting it land how it lands. And other ways soft and gentle: having a cookie, not because I am hungry, or because it is healthy, but simply for the joy of eating. A practice of self-love.