Some might say it’s a storm in a teacup – in other words, I’m getting upset about something that really isn’t such a big deal in the overall scheme of things.
(Oh, and while I’m at it – is it teacup or tea cup?! My natural instinct was to use it as two words, but the consensus online seems to be that “teacup” is the way to go).
Maybe it is, but it’s got me all confuzzled (totally a word).
Most of the time, I’m a tea drinker – and as I explained some time ago, to me, it’s much more than just a cup of tea.
And I love pretty things.
So you would think that I would love this teacup and saucer set.
Why it’s become a storm in a teacup
But instead it reminds me of a difficult time in my life, and even without drinking from it, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
You see back in 2012 when I was made redundant unexpectedly, this was my leaving present along with a bunch of flowers.
It was a thoughtful gift, no doubt chosen by one of my lovely workmates (and I’m pretty sure I know which one). But it seems puny in comparison to the many leaving gifts I contributed to or even organised during my nearly ten years at that organisation.
Rationally? I know that there were several redundancies at the time, so no doubt the people that were left had to dig deep, contributing to all of these farewell gifts.
But it still hurts, and every time I look at my teacup and what a small gift it was compared to others, it reminds me of the pain of feeling unloved and unwanted which redundancy typically generates (even if everybody assures you it’s not personal; it’s the job that has been made redundant, not you; my life is so much better now; blah blah blah).
For a long time I just kept my teacup on the bookshelves in my study where I didn’t really notice it, pulling it out to use as a prop for the occasional photo.
More recently, my teacup has been in storage for several months while we moved house, but just last weekend I unpacked it and all the hurt rose to the surface again.
The husbear wants to know why I don’t just get rid of it.
Maybe he’s right – if I can let it go physically, it will help me to let go symbolically. Once it’s gone, the reminder will be too.
One definition I came across said that “a storm in a teacup” means to be very upset or annoyed about something that is not at all important, and will soon be forgotten. Question is – do I want to forget? Isn’t that redundancy part of what has made the me of today?!
I know it’s not a big deal but I’m in a quandary, so would love to hear if you have any wisdom to offer about my teacup dilemma!