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April brings two things to my home every year: another special birthday and the 'special of the season' virus party. It is uncanny how every April the whole household goes through this utopia of germ fest and seasonal allergies. Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest takes new meaning altogether.
Let's talk about the happier aspect: the special birthday. This recognition goes to my significant other. Typically I bake cakes for celebrating life (not just a birthday) as I see it. However, this year I am seriously delinquent in baking for the two mothers in my life (whose birthdays fall in March). So I decided no ordinary cake would suffice in celebrating so many special people in my life. Thus instead of the regular cake, I baked a pan of red raspberry shortbread bars with sliced almonds. This egg-less treat turned out to be a very addictive, sweet, chewy and soul satisfying indulgence. Moms: here's an ode to your sweetness, warmth and soul satisfying comfort that you provide even when you are miles away. It goes without saying that my significant other has enjoyed his share and yours too (in case you have any doubts).
Given the condition of the household health, my spouse asked me not to worry about the extra effort to bake this week. It is funny how I don't view this as an additional effort at all...I guess love and appreciation far exceeds physical fatigue and allows one to do marvelous things. There is some truth to the phrase: "delight your heart and you will have no regrets". :)
Today, after many days, I have found a few moments to pen some thoughts down again. This afternoon my children attended a party at a local hardware store. It was quite a unique setting. There were a real hammer, real nails and pieces of real wood involved- so all in all the excitement was understandable. As they spent some quality time under the warm sun; hammering nails into blocks of wood to build a sail boat and a bird house I watched and reminisced my engineering-school days. How times have changed...
The first time I held a real hammer and nail and had the liberty to work on pieces of wood all on my own was in my late teens. My children are fortunate to have the same experience at a much earlier age thanks to the creative minds of Home Depot. From Lego pieces to carpentry, my children are starting to grasp the concept of how things are built. This concept could easily have been taught to them through books and other media. But would they have ever understood what it felt to hit a finger instead of the head of the nail? Or for that matter would they have ever appreciated the effort that goes into hand-made objects? Or the pride that comes from building something by hand? I doubt it.
Experience counts ten times more than any chapter in any given book. It helps build a foundation stronger than any cement block. It makes us who we are and helps us understand a situation better than anyone else. And with the experience comes the understanding and the appreciation of a task/situation without any preconceived judgement. In life, we must thus strive to experience everything but expect nothing...
Vanilla cake layered with cream cheese frosting and topped with royal icing decor. Have a great egg hunting experience this Easter!
Egg-less vanilla cake with pineapple/apricot preserve filling and a light cream cheese frosting. May Saturn ring in another year of good health, happiness and cheer.
