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Presence

Does the frosting really matter? 


I asked this question all of the time growing up. Being a rather impatient and eager little girl with an enormous sweet tooth, the process of finishing cupcakes was torture. First you had to mix all of the ingredients together (and eat half of the batter), then put them in cupcake liners, bake them, let them cool, AND ice them, all before you could sink your teeth into their sugary goodness. In my mind it wasn't worth the wait. I could not understand why my grandmother insisted that this was the best method. It clearly wasn't. 

And so, I would whine, "does the frosting really maaaaattttter?" 

Gently she would respond, "Yes, it matters. It matters because it means you worked through the process"
I remember getting upset when she responded to that question. I knew she was right but I refused to surrender my impatient attitude enough to let her words sink in. 
Are her words unsettling to you? They are to me. I've gotten away from working through the process and instead, get hung up on results. 

Results rule me sometimes - maybe admitting that is the first step toward heeding my grandmother's words.  
"I don’t want to wait anymore. I choose to believe that there is nothing more sacred or profound than this day. I choose to believe that there may be a thousand big moments embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny shards of gold. The big moments are the daily, tiny moments of courage, and forgiveness, and hope that we grab on to and extend to one another. That’s the drama of life, swirling all around us, and generally I don’t even see it because I’m too busy waiting to become whatever it is I think I am about to become. The big moments are in every hour, every conversation, every meal, every meeting.

I believe that if we cultivate a true attention, a deep ability to see what has been there all along, we will find worlds within us and between us, dreams and stories and memories spilling over. The nuances and shades and secrets and intimations of love and friendship and marriage and parenting are action-packed and multicolored, if you know where to look.

This is life in all its glory, swirling and unfolding around us, disguised as pedantic, pedestrian non-events. But pull off the mask and you will find your life, waiting to be made, chosen, woven, crafted". - Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines

Today is my moment. Today is your moment. The process of living, growing - the process of becoming - is profound if you choose that perspective.


The frosting really does matter. 

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