Feel good cherry stem tea

These days, when opening my browser I’m looking at around 20 open tabs. Each one of them contains beautifully written blog posts and stunning recipes that I’d like to try, tinker around with and cook as often as needed for them to be presentable right here to you, yes you. Basically, I am constantly thinking about cooking, discovering new ingredients and food in general. Then I check my weekly schedule, trying to find time slots to take plans into action and continue working on the tasks I failed to complete due to my current workload. Sigh. Right now I work every single day. By work I mean working for other people, doing jobs that lead nowhere, that don’t lighten up my hard, that don’t make me want to work all through the night to finish and present to the world.

Sure, I’m happy to have these jobs, as they provide me with the necessary means and the ability to put food on the table and have a roof above my head. Then again I get frustrated when reading about all those success stories scattered around the web. Sure, stories on failing have equally increased over the years, but the fact is, those ‘lesson learned’ stories are mostly written by people who are already successful. I don’t begrudge their success, but I envy their courage to take risks and actually get started. So far I haven’t found the key of overcoming my own fear and hesitation of getting started, which was actually one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Istanbul, besides learning Turkish. Learning how to take risks and start something on my own. Turkish people are incredible when it comes to entrepreneurial spirit. The slightest sense of an opportunity is seemingly all they need to get started, to found their own company, produce what is needed and get people talking. I thought this spirit would rub off on me more easily, but I’m still caught in the hamster wheel called day-to-day life also known as routine. I know everything will turn out right in the end, but I’m not sure whether my patience is conducive at this point of my life or not. And reading statements like the following, “whether it’s by actually blogging on your blog, or starting your startup, value is created by doing.” doesn’t make it any better. The worst thing is, they are right. Period.

And unfortunately, or luckily (I haven’t decided on this one yet) the only person who can change how much value I create is myself. So here we are on my blog, the initial value I created to kick off a personal project of let’s say ‘daily value creation’. My plan is to create value everyday, whatever the form. Let it be a recipe tested, a blog post written, a conversation held about my own projects. Who knows what’s out there to be created once you’ve got the ball rolling, right?

So let’s make some feel good tea and watch this video over and over again.
Feel good Cherry Stem Tea 
After trying this flavorful and fruity tea that to me is reminiscent of summer, you will be crying over all those cherry stems that you have thrown away in the past. Cherry Stem Tea is known to dissolve mucus while being an equally effective treatment of bladder infections and bloating. Some people swear to its mild detoxifying and appetite regulating properties. So save your cherry stems the next time you buy some organic cherries. Allow them to dry on a baking sheet in a dry place for a couple of days. Or, if you don’t cope with cherries that well, like myself, check in with your pharmacy or well stocked herb store / organic goods provider.

Ingredients:
1/2 hand full of dried cherry stems

Place cherry stems in a big teapot. Add boiling water and cover. Let steep for 15 minutes. Drink warm or cold.