A Whimsical Reminder of Connectedness
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the shade of pink I saw in my teacup. It was a soft pink, a lot like a pale rosé wine. I was sitting in the breakfast area of a luxurious hotel in Johannesburg. It had this wonderfully whimsical decor, that somehow also managed to be elegant.
I think like most people, my images of Africa were limited to majestic landscapes, wild animals you can only see in a zoo back home, and beautiful people. Not the full richness of architecture and style that is found in the real place.
When we arrived at this hotel there were influencers and celebrities from Ghana and Nigeria taking photos with vintage Mercedes and gorgeous cars I didn’t even recognize. The entire scene was so elegant, their clothing extremely glamorous.
We’d flown in from Zambia, where we swam at the edge of Victoria Falls, then stayed in a backpacker’s compound with no hot water, and it showed.
We had to interrupt the shoot to get into the lobby, we were afraid they’d shoo us away, thinking we couldn’t possibly arrive looking like we looked and belong there.
But they didn’t. They were kind. And they had a giant dish of M&Ms with smaller dishes to serve yourself, as well as rose Turkish delight. More pink. The next morning, we were showered and ready to reintegrate into a busier rhythm of life.
Well, just a little bit busier. I’m convinced that Alice in Wonderland, and maybe a little of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, were used to inspire the decor for the hotel. I wasn’t fully ready for reality and this hotel was accommodating my slow re-entry.
There were oversized chairs, and giant wire hangers holding curtains that draped down three stories. The buffet for the breakfast had all the whimsy of the Mad Matter’s tea party, with delicious and beautiful treats to consume.
And my tea. I’ve tried to copy that tea. You could also compare it to the color of a pink diamond. I’m convinced it somehow sparkled.
In Feng Shui, pale pink brings the energy of Metal. Metal energy enhances calm, clarity and focus. I certainly felt calm.
In the Taoist system of the Five Elements that are used in both Chinese Medicine and Feng Shui, the spirit of Metal is about embodied knowing, physical sensations, and appreciation.
For someone like me, prone to getting stuck in analysis paralysis and overthinking, helps break up that stagnant Earth element. It gives me room to move with integrity, to take action on my intentions.
Because there is this beautiful cyclical nature to these elements, the metal element also supports water. Water houses our instinctual power, our courage, and fuels our intuition.
The pool at the hotel had trees in huge buckets, sitting right in the water. You felt like you’d shrunk down just like Alice, if Alice had visited a luxury resort.
The current archeological record points to this part of Africa as being where we all began. If you visit, it’s actually called the Cradle of Humankind. Just the power of that history makes you feel small, without adding in the whimsical hotel.
So I think of that pink tea ever time I see that shade of pink. I’m reminded of the calm grounded feeling I experienced, and I’m reminded of what we all have in common.
Our physical body is our connection to our ancestors, an aspect of our connection to each other. Remembering the feeling of that area where the earliest traces of human life are found, our common ancestors, centers me. Sometimes it’s the little things that remind us we’re all family.
