I have always liked the idea of being a baker. Well, maybe not a baker, but someone who bakes. Who knows how to bake. Who enjoys baking. And not from a box (that, I have been doing for years.)
It seemed so, I don't know, wholesome. The simple ingredients; the smell of the house; the warm kitchen; the gift of a delectable treat that you know someone spent time making. I often found myself looking on with awe to others who found joy in baking and I thought that maybe if I stood close enough their joy would rub off on me. But, lo and behold, it doesn't seem to happen that way. Yes - their joy was contagious, but their joy for baking, not so much.
And then a couple of Mondays ago, while doing my weekly planning (yes, this actually keeps me stay sane) I had an idea to give myself jobs for each day of the week - one having to do with maintaining the household and one having to do with, well, not the household. These jobs would be non-negotiables each week and they would just enter into my weekly planning. You see for me it is important for me to have jobs when I don't have a "job." It gives me purpose and a sense of accomplishment all of which contribute to my overall happiness. I was having fun with this list (who doesn't love a good list!): Monday - High Priority Clean and Yoga; Tuesday - Grocery shop and blog . . . you see how the list goes. And then I got to Friday and I wrote BAKE. And that's all that I needed - to sneak up behind myself and make it an expectation that I would bake.
Well, I broke my own rule and baked on a Tuesday night. The girls were in bed (I decided I could only do "box" baking with them at this stage in their lives and, lets not kid ourselves, at this stage in my life of becoming a joyful baker!) and Matt was working late. I had done myself the fortuitous favor of printing the recipe and getting all of the ingredients together mid-day (a fun activity to do with an 8 month old) so there was no escaping myself; no turning back. I turned on the radio and began. And do you know what?? I had fun! It was a relief to follow someone else's instructions at the end of the day and to have the kitchen to myself. I listened to the news and baked into my own new joy!
And then it got even better! Matt got home from work and had a warm cookie. He was so happy! The next day, we brought cookies to Francesca's teachers. They were so happy! On Friday, we brought cookies to friends who just had a new baby. Happiness for all! And the very next day we brought the last of the cookies to a playdate with twins. Happiness quadrupled!
And I realized that this is perhaps why people love baking so much. Not just for the process, but the joy of giving it all away.
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