Being from Texas (notice I didn’t say the “South”.  The South is Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.  Not Texas.  Texas is it’s own region), I grew up on sweet tea.  It was always iced and it was loose leaf.  Of course it was Lipton in that old yellow and red box.  And it never lasted long.  My Daddy used to work outside most of the day, coming in for lunch and the loo.  At dinner time, well, that was quitting time.  He started his own business when I was about 4 and my mom went to work at the US Post Office.  We weren’t rich, but we didn’t want for anything either.  Through my parents strong work ethic, I learned that you always do you best and give it 100%.

When I was around 10 (I think) we switched from sweet tea to unsweet tea.  We also had made the change to tea bags.  At the time, I thought that was the most awesome thing ever!  No more boiled over tea with tea leaves (well, let’s be honest, since it was Lipton tea, it was tea grounds) getting all over the cooktop and tea kettle!  How amazing was that?  I honestly thought that Lipton was the only tea until I was around 14 or so.  Sure, I went to the grocery with my mom, but I never paid attention.  I was hanging out in the bakery watching them decorate cakes or drooling over the yummy desserts that I knew I’d never have (I’ve always had a bit of a weight problem.  I wasn’t “fat” as a child or teenage, but I fell into the category of : she’d look better if she lost 10 or 15 pounds).

Let’s fast forward several (like 25+) years and let me say this.  I still drink my iced tea unsweet, but my cuppa (ok, pot) in the morning is sweet.  It’s never Lipton (sorry, not sorry) and it’s delish!  I don’t drink near as much iced tea as I used to, but I will drink hot tea all day.   My boys, well, 2 of them like sweet tea (always iced, hardly ever hot), and the other prefers a root beer to tea if he has a choice.  The hubby, well, he drinks it sweet.  Hot or Cold.    I seem to recall being at a restaurant, I don’t know where or when it was, but the hubby was running out of tea, so she comes by and says “let me sweeten that up for you” and refills his glass.  I loved her phrasing and it’s always just kinda stuck with me.  I’ve never had an opportunity to use it, but I applaud her choice of words and acknowledge her brilliance.

So whenever in life you are standing at the edge of bitterness, recall the good humor of an unknown waitress and let her “sweeten it up for you” and step away from the edge.  Life is pretty sweet anyway – you just need to be reminded of it.