A Calibrated Infusion

Confinement indoors requires methodical interludes to prevent cognitive decline. At fifteen hundred hours, I approached an enameled cast-iron trivet on the counter where an unbleached linen tea sachet lay beside a small porcelain cup. Steeping dried leaves demands exact parameters; carelessness results in bitter, undrinkable swill. Using both hands, I grasped the twisted cotton string of the pouch and guided it over the rim, lowering it precisely into the center of the vessel. Beside it sat a mechanical pocket timer. I stepped forward, applied measured downward force with my heel onto the brass plunger, and initiated a strict four-minute countdown. Orderly preparation yields reliable sustenance.