Ro Practice

"Alright, Kana-chan, let's practice the ro (sunken hearth) today."
I haven't even mastered the bonryaku temae (simplified tray procedure) yet, and my teacher suddenly throws this at me.

With the anniversary of my mother's death approaching, I've been feeling deeply depressed and unable to shake off the sadness.
I had honestly shared those feelings with Suzu-sensei.
Truth be told, I didn't have the energy to practice today either.
But because I had promised, I forced my body to move and got on the train.

At the practice hall, Tatsu-sensei had finished teaching her student, and my senior fellow student was about to start cleaning up.

Once again, my mind and heart were empty, and my movements were uncertain.
Will I be okay?
As if she could see right through that anxiety, Suzu-sensei said,
"Since there is charcoal in the ro," and offered to let me try my first ro practice.

"The ro..."

She was changing the focus and trying to shift my mood.
She is such a kind person...

In the bonryaku temae, you carry all the tea utensils on a tray and perform the procedure without using a bamboo ladle.
With the ro, you carry the ladle, water container, waste water container, tea bowl, and other items to the side of the hearth one by one.

Then, you sit at an angle to the ro.
Before I knew what was happening,
I was told that the basics remain the same.

Except for using the ladle and scooping hot water, it is the same as the simplified tray procedure.

I handle the fukusa (silk cloth) and practice.
The way to place the lid of the water container is unique; you lean it against the side.
I clink the ladle against the rim.
For some reason, it's interesting.
I don't know what's interesting about it, but
it's interesting.

And the senior student who came after me to practice is also quite a character.
He says he's going to apply to art school next year.
Even though he's already retired.

It seems that fun people gather around this teacher.

I act as the guest for my senior fellow student.
I observe his movements while watching the tea preparation, but I'm doing my best just to follow along with my eyes.

After he finishes the tea preparation, the senior student says he wants to drink some tea too.
The teacher says, "I see," and quite easily demonstrates the tea preparation at the ro.

The senior student eats the sweets with gusto and sips the tea.
It is a peaceful moment.

Now then... the book I've been reading lately is

Their enthusiasm is different from mine.
But as I read on, they are doing the same thing as me.
Forgetting to keep their free hand properly on their knee,
leaving it idle.

And then they get corrected by the teacher.

Yes, Yokoigure-san wrote the same thing.
I felt relieved somehow.

I borrowed it from the library,
couldn't finish it even after extending the loan,
and will borrow it again.

I am not growing at all

Ah, this is just like practicing tea

When I think about it, I only needed to be a guest
Before I knew it, I found my mother's fukusa and ended up performing the tea ceremony
Was I set up by my mother...

My son even said to me
"I never thought you would do tea ceremony, Mom"
How on earth did things end up like this?

I think again
I must live on a little longer
Yes, at least until I can perform the tea ceremony a little better

Together with the fukusa my mother left behind
The tea ceremony practice I've gotten myself into continues