This beautiful morning marks the first day of scarf, jacket, and beanie weather here in Northern VA. The air has the chilly bite of winter right around the edges and you can't help but get all jazzed up at the thought of snow. It's coming people! Woo! Enjoy it with this moist, super decadent Zebra Bundt cake and a mug of hot cocoa!
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I wanted to take a moment for some "real talk." Over the past week, two people whom I didn't personally know passed away. One was a chef at my colleague's daughter's elementary school; the other was one of my mother's cousins that I had never met. This type of thing is always sobering no matter the relation.
The design of life is frustrating. You appear in this world without a say- family, country, socioeconomic status, gender, appearance, health- they're already there when you take your first breath. You stumble along trying to make the right decisions with the end goal of being Someone. There's so much subtext. Between the love, loss, and learning- you realize what you can control is minimal. That can be alarming or freeing.
I took it as alarming. As result, I used to drop a lot of questions on my poor husband. He has a solid foundation and a sense of positivity that is magnetic. I like to joke that my mind is like a balloon filled with inquiries and imagination and he's holding the string so it doesn't float away. He always listens patiently and offers his perspective. One day, in response to a space-tastic question, he put his foot down : "why do you ask questions no one can answer?"
That was the most honest, not-an-answer I'd ever heard.
People have been searching for the rhyme and reason for hundreds of years with, at best, subjective results. There is little definitive. Raging at a design that one has minimal control over is futile; you'll get caught in an axle of anxiety and frustration. So what can you do?
Love. Love hard. Find a hobby, a passion, a cause. That's not to say throw yourself into reckless abandonment and distractions. Explore what brings you joy and build from there. Give back- make somebody's day even if it's for a few minutes.
I love my husband, family, and friends; my energy is poured into relationships and interests. This blog, for example, is an extension of my passion for creating. You can't control everything but you can choose who and what you love. It's a powerful choice that's not to be taken lightly. Surround yourself in positivity and take it one day at a time.
Thank you for letting me share.
For the recipe, check out the Zebra Bundt Cake post on a Baker's Royale!