Storytime with Chelsee
There’s always a risk in doing something new, whether that's in a new set and setting, a new thing you’re trying out that could be a flavor, route, ritual, or a full-on new experience that you’re just doing your best to stay present with.
When I took my business to new spaces and set up to do something I hadn’t done to the capacity I had before, I truly felt like a fish outta the water. As a fairly hermit-ish human, especially in new environments, I know my vices— love having a bit of a plan, which helps me build a sense of what to expect. Whether that's chaos or delight, it’s how my chart works, and it’s how I regulate my nervous system irl in new environments. Like a flower, I need basic things from my environment.
Anywho… I had no idea what to expect from these back-to-back weekends. I was nervous, as I usually am when I’m doing anything for the first time. Bless, I had Lions Heart in my bag— I just wished I’d taken it leading up to the back-to-back travel (note to self: take the tincture even when you think you’re doing just fine). What grounds me is silly, but there’s something meditative about putting the setup together. I have the aesthetics for all of us, but there’s a method to it. I want to make sure I can work efficiently (just in case I get busy) and that the tables are comfortable for y’all to pick things up and explore. And honestly, it was a miracle that I set things up the way I did, because YES, I did get busy and served 75 drinks a day (thanks to knowing how many cups I started with).
My favorite (and most familiar thing at events) is watching taste buds dance. It’s a joy to hear how a flavor reminds someone I’ve just met of a time with a loved one who's passed, and to relive that memory through a flavor. It’s a joy to witness a kiddo developing their palate, asking all the questions, so that when they taste the richness of our Mind Brew, their parent lights up and feels they have a special ritual to share with their little one. It’s a joy to watch eyes widen when they see the bright blue hues of marble in the cup, and to see them grow as they taste the delightful subtleties of our Morphic Matcha, which they thought would need to be covered up by sugar.
It’s the micro-conversations I get to have with folks across my table that are among my favorite moments. To be engaged and present, to pass along connection, compassion, and care through a remedy that vibrates through their mind and body, filling their energetic cups, so that, in turn, the environment and community around them receive the ripple of loving-kindness they received from the plants that make up our remedies.
The devotion I have for the plants, mixed with my passion for herb craft, and the challenging artistry I put into making delicious beverages. Slinging drinks at events is fantastically chaotic. Lots of past-life energy doing alchemy with present-life dreams. Cheers to herbs, to being adaptable and finding a way through the chaos of change.
