Let them eat cake!

I've been taking cake decorating classes. Yes, not the healthiest hobby to pursue, but I grew up with a love for it. My Aunt used to decorate cakes. I spent hours and hours of my childhood flipping through Wilton cake decorating books. Always on the look out for a) What I thought was cool b)What I wanted for my next birthday and c) How I wanted my wedding cake to look.

I still have clear pictures of cakes I STILL want for my next birthday (There's one I desperately wanted for my 30th that never quite happened. 3 dimensional teddy bear sitting in a wagon. Bout a foot wide, foot and a half long and bit over a foot tall. If I don't get it before then I'll make it for myself by my 40th!) and I remember all the funky 70's - 80's things that I thought would be SO cool - stairs and water fountains. Now, these are cheesy. Then, they were an architectural and technological marvel. Well - to an 8 year old.)

So anyhow, I'm now taking classes in the same place where my aunt used to buy her cake based goods. I remember coming here as a kid too. Still owned by the same family. Still looks the same. She might have even taken classes here - I was too young to remember those details.

But I remember the cakes. Smelling them bake. Watching her prepare. Watching her create something of beauty out of nothing in particular except flour and sugar.

Being healthy is important. Of the 2 cakes made this weekend, I will have one small slice of each - enough to be social as 1 is going to a party for a friend and the other is going to church. This isn't the most "healthy choice" in terms of calories. But when I see other folks oooh and aah over a cake I've made, the same way they used to do for my aunt, it feels oh so healthy on a much higher level.

Healthy isn't just about calories and sodium and sugar intake. It's about being a better person. Feeling better about who you are, what you bring and what you leave behind.

Today I made cakes, took a class, and then hung out with friends all day. I should have eaten better and had more water to drink. But that doesn't matter today. Today I fed my spirit. And it's definitely not on a diet.