Yes I ordered a cake! A simple small iced beautiful cake. I was hungry, I wanted to eat my cake ‘now’. My cake arrived in a cake box. It felt heavier than I expected but who am I to argue if life chooses to give me more than I expected or ordered, I reasoned. As I lifted the box I felt movement, not of a whole but movement of parts. What happened to my cake? I asked. Maybe it broke in transit? I felt disappointed, but I consoled myself that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter, the cake will be broken anyway in my mouth, I will chew the life out of it, what is important is to have every part of the cake in the box.
I opened the box, and everything was there and more, but what I got was not what I was expecting. I got the ingredients! not a baked and iced cake! Not a decorated cake, no cake, period! Loads and loads of ingredients, I was in a good mind to return all of it or just get rid of everything. Too disappointed to go through the trouble of returning I started to empty the box in the bin and as I got to the last but one item, I saw the recipe book, showing various recipes of all that I could achieve with the ingredients. The book had many pages with beautifully illustrated pictures and step by step guide on “how to”, my mouth started salivating as I leaf through the recipe book. I have never baked a cake in my life, I always get them ready baked, slowly I retrieved all the ingredients I emptied into the bin. I carefully clean them up and arrange them on the shelf.
Within a few days, I got all my baking utensils, donned my baker’s hat and apron, and commenced the steep learning curve of baking and decorating a sumptuous cake. With a steady mind and hand, I found the guide was not difficult to follow, in no time I was weighing, mixing, rubbing, stirring, beating, folding etc My mixture was taking shape and it was time to turn it into the baking tin and put into the oven, within a few minutes my house was filled with the lovely aroma of freshly baked cake, my house had never smelled like that before. It was the most glorious smell, I was still all covered in baking flour as I sat back to savour the sweet smell. I couldn’t believe how much I missed out on by buying a ready baked cake. The process of baking brought unique satisfaction.
I tucked into my freshly baked cake, divine! The taste was second to none, I stood transfixed in the journey of discovery in my mouth, what an experience! Very much worth the wait and effort.
Yet I ordered a cake when all I needed to order all along were the ingredients. Thank you for not delivering what I ordered, thank you for delivering what I needed.
I iced my cake, what a beautiful cake it is. Happiness is surely a piece of cake. We approach life and order a cake, life said ‘no’ and gave us ingredients, we are distraught and dumped the ingredients in the bin, maybe, just maybe we should fetch out the ingredients and start baking. Maybe the happiness and fulfilment we seek is not in the eating but in the process of making, baking and smelling the beautiful aroma of baking. I ordered a cake!
Beautiful Ivory 