What's with the Turtle?

I attended a Chinese tea ceremony recently and we were asked to choose our “tea pet.”

“What’s a tea pet!”

It’s a companion for drinking tea with. A pig, a monkey, a frog—you choose. So while I went through each steep of tea, a tea expert poured the pot over my pet to “bathe” it and well, because it’s thirsty too. My pet could fit in a little bowl and looked like it would belong to a bookshelf beside ceramics. 

“Is there a reason behind this ritual?” I asked.

“No, just joy.” 

And so I decided, I want a writing pet. And that pet is an imaginary turtle. This one is illustrated by Pepe Delfin. 

It is inspired by Esio Trot, which is a book by Roald Dahl, who got me into reading as a child. 

My writing pet reminds me to eat vegetables, don’t rush, don’t be so shy, and—as characteristic of all Roald Dahl stories—believe in magic. 🐢✨