In a strange way, reinventing yourself requires you to revisit who you once were. Yesterday, I spent the day in New Orleans. It was a business trip that was filled with fun, adventure and a couple of hours of free time to enjoy walking around the French Quarter in solitude. New Orleans holds a special place in my heart. Everywhere I go there is a special memory: Jackson Square where my mom would let me tap dance as a kid; the wooden toy store my dad and I loved to visit; the sidewalk where my husband proposed.
It’s where, before marriage and diapers, I could spend hours completely content to be alone. There isn’t much time to be alone these days. But yesterday was a reminder that I still know how.
Baking is also a reminder of my old self. When I was in grad school with deadlines looming, I often baked. It was advice given to me by a writer-friend who explained that baking allowed you to enjoy the completion of a creative process. And it’s true. However, baking is about more than just completing a process. It allows us to both literally and figuratively feed ourselves and others. The next day I would pack up my goodies and deliver them to my classmates, who were always a grateful audience.
Marisa and I both love to cook. Marisa’s menus are of the Top Chef variety, while I tend to lean more toward simple home cooking. So today Marisa and I are going to bake our first cakes in a jar. We are in two different kitchens, in two different states. When they are finished we will pack up our cakes (that’s the joy of “canning” a cake) and mail them to one another. After all, food is meant to be shared.
** Come back tomorrow to see how they turned out.
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