Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Psalm 34
How happy is person who takes refuge in Him!
I ran into a friend at the grocery store the other day. It was a little surprising for both of us, since it’s not the closest one to either of our homes. (I have a love affair with this grocery store but that’s a topic for another post.) We chatted for a second and I noticed something special in her cart.
“Oh, that’s our Everyday Cake.”
“Your what?”
“Our Everyday Cake. Just because. Sometimes having cake just makes the day better.”
Can you see why I love this friend so much?! She’s right, and it had never occurred to me to buy a fancy decorated cake out of the bakery case! We can do little things during the day and make our lives so much sweeter.
Buy the flowers and put them in your kitchen.
Iron your dishcloths. Or the pillowcases.
Take ten minutes to sit and watch the world go by from your front porch.
Burn the candle you were saving. Or use the bubble bath.
Buy the cake.
Eat it. (At least a slice.)
It turns out that my friend’s “Everyday Cake” was a riff on Kramer’s “Everyday Balloons.” How could I have forgotten? Kramer and my friend were both right.
This encounter with my friend happened back when we thought Corona was just a beer. But the last time I was at the grocery store I stopped by the bakery case and decided that the white chocolate raspberry cake was going home with me, because Everyday Cake. The kids were delighted and we enjoyed every bite. It was more than just having something around for dessert. It was lovely and delicious and different. Special. And it made the day special just to cut into it.
These strange times are making me anxious. I try to be selective in the news (both source and amount) that I consume, and I exercise and spend time outdoors. But honestly, living with six other people in the house, the infernal not knowing of everything right now, the deep sadness of what my senior is missing out on every single day—all of these things can blind me to the sweetness that there is in life, even this life of quarantine.
And if it takes a little Everyday Cake to show me that sweetness, that’s okay.
P.S. I know the ironed dishcloth thing looks weird but I can’t even tell you how much I love to pull one of those pressed towels out of the drawer.
