She takes the cake

I've reached the age where weddings are around every corner. In youngstown, it's not a wedding unless you have a cookie table that stretches for miles. Having an itch for baking and a natural sweet tooth, I always put these tables under a little more scrutiny than the average wedding goer. There's nothing more off-putting than biting into a visually stunning treat and finding its contents to be sub par. It's even more disappointing to uncover this quality in others. 

In the honeymoon stage I'm currently living in, there are very few days where I don't hear a "you're beautiful"( or some other ordinary attempt at flattery ) out of my husband. ( yes, newlyweds.). Admittedly, I'm not the best receiver of compliments, my feedback is almost always filled with an eye roll and "well I hope my insides match the outside, because looks fade, handsome." Though he says they never will, I'm sure those compliments will melt away just as our looks someday will.

In the creation of all things, the contents are just as important as the finished product. We are no exception to that rule. Unfortunately, we live in such a fast paced world where our profile picture, status, and latest tweet depict who we are. We've created a technological world that somehow is more invasive, yet less personal. This lifestyle has made it more convenient to network, but quicker to judge one another without even exchanging a word. 

In an attempt to beat the odds of a judgmental society, we have to leave our mark in other forms aside from our outer beauty, (and our profiles). This is partially why I enjoy baking, gift giving, and other arts so much. Each time I give something I've created, it's a sweet taste of who I am. (In fact, it pains me to find that I cannot make a living solely on acts of kindness alone). After baking for a wedding this past week, nothing was more rewarding than hearing our bride say "These cookies are so pretty, and they taste even better." We can spend bank accounts on a beautiful and intricately decorated wedding cake, but if it doesn't taste as good as it looks, our efforts are a waste. 

We are the cakes, the pies, the cookies, all put here to look beautiful and someday be gobbled up. As we sit here on this giant round plate awaiting our fate, all we really have to offer to others is our goodness. If your ingredients inside aren't equally appealing, all your left with is beauty that will inevitably someday spoil. Does what's inside match what others see? If not, maybe it's time to change your recipe. Share your sweet goodness, because that's what truly takes the cake.