You may think by reading the title and looking at this photo, that I am going to start whining about how tired I am. Well I am tired. I left the house at 7:30 this morning and returned around 7 pm tonight. I went straight from work to take my mom to an appointment and on some errands. Those of you who know us, know that Mom lives 45 minutes away. When I arrived home, both girls, were in the zombie zone. I could at least carry on a conversation with Cara. Alyssa has been passed out, uttering only one word nonsensical answers.
I have been tired for a few days now....and as I was headed home, visions of being cuddled up in my nice soft bed were swirling through my head. I arrived home, said some hellos to the offspring, and then went into the kitchen, where I proceeded to make two cakes. Cake # 2 is in the oven. I have approximately 30 minutes to complete this blog....and when the last cake is done...I will be high-tailing it to my bed, I will jump in (ok, maybe not JUMP) and then, much to my children's chagrin, I will exclaim in a voice loud enough for the whole house to hear that I love my bed and I love sleep. I will do this until I hear groans and complaints on their part...what can I say? Cheap thrills!
So, why on a night like this, when I feel like the walking dead, would I decide to bake a couple of cakes? (And once again, let me insert here, that I do not use cake mixes unless truly pinched for time, I bake from scratch). The answer is because I love people, and I believe that when you love people you need to go out of your way for them. And as much as I wanted to run right to bed tonight, the love was stronger than the tired. There are a couple of people that I needed to bake for. One because I've missed him...and what better way to say it, then with a baked good? The other...because there is an occasion coming up, and spiritually....this friend just needs to be baked for..
I see it over and over again. People don't want to do anything for anyone if it is going to inconvenience them....if there is no benefit for them. That may be the saddest thing about the age we live in. I believe that if people matter...then we have to show them. I try to drum that into my kids. People are the most important commodity in this life. If someone is important in your life...you need to go out of your way for them. Nothing else matters quite so much in life...all the other stuff will pass away, but it's the relationships you have with the people in your life that makes your life rich and and meaningful and worth living. I am not going to tell you that I always put others first. I am not going to try to make you believe that I always make the right and noble choices in life. Some days...the tired wins. But my heart is definitely in the right place...and I truly try to do my part to make my corner of the world better. It's not necessarily about baking....that's what I do, not always, but sometimes. In these particular instances...I know it's going to make two people happy tomorrow. There are so many ways to be there for someone....to show someone that they are important enough for you to go out of your way, to rearrange your schedule, to get up early, or stay up late or travel a few hours out of your way to be there for someone...whatever it takes.
In two minutes, the timer is going to beep, I am going to stick a toothpick in that cake and hope it comes out dry. I am going to turn all the lights off, have a little pow-wow with Alex and then I am going to get in bed and proclaim loudly how I've missed it all day and about 5 seconds after that, I will be out for the count.
I could already be sleeping....but it's more important to present two people who are dear to me with a cake, that I didn't have to bake, that I didn't have time to bake, that wasn't necessary, that I was too tired to bake...but that I baked anyway...just because they are who they are and because they mean something to me. I went out of my way....when I didn't have to...and I will do it again tomorrow because it's important...and because people are important and they need to be shown.
There's the timer... on my mark, get-set-go....you know what happens next.
"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
~ Mother Teresa
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