Self Improvement > Inspirational > There Are Life Lessons Every Where
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Article rating : 0.00, 0 votes. Author : Dawn Fields
The other day, Erica and Eli baked their first cake,
with very little help from me. We found a recipe off
the Internet and went together to the grocery store to
buy all of the ingredients.
They were so excited. Although they have helped me cook
dinner and bake cookies in the past, this was going to
be their first attempt at baking solely on their own.
I told them that I would only help them to put the cake
into the oven and to take it out when it was done so
that they would not have to deal with a hot stove.
Well, I did read the directions a bit when they seemed
a little stumped as to what they should do next.
It was a hilarious experience. They had flour all over
themselves, the floor, the table, the chairs and Eli even
managed to get it in his ears.
Anyway, after adding all of the ingredients and mixing
it together, they greased and floured the pan and put
the cake into the oven. We set the timer and the cake
began to bake.
They couldn’t keep their eyes off the oven. The recipe
called for them to bake it for 30 minutes. They pulled
up stools in front of the oven and watched it as if they
were watching the Super Bowl. Every 30 seconds they asked
me was it done yet? Thirty minutes never seemed longer.
Finally, the timer went off. They jumped off the stools
and laughed and jumped up and down, elated about their
creation.
When I opened the oven, I could tell right away that the
cake was not quite done. So, I said, “I don’t think it is
quite done.” “Yes it is. The recipe said thirty minutes
and thirty minutes is up. It’s done.”
“No, the middle part is still soft and jiggles. I think
we should leave it in for a few minutes more.”
“No, Mommy, you said we could do this ourselves.”
“OK. But I’m going on record that I think it should
stay a little longer.”
I took the cake out the oven and told them that we had
to wait for the cake to cool off before we could add the icing.
Well, that was too nerve-racking for them, and for me,
I might add. Because every 10 seconds one of them was
asking me, is it cool yet? What about now? I think it’s
ready. It feels cool to me? Hey, Cake, are you cool yet?
Finally, it was cool enough to add the icing and you
should have seen them go to work. They added white icing
and even made flowers on the cake. They drew pictures
with the icing, they added their names, and they added
everything they could possibly think to add on every
square inch of that cake. The entire cake was white,
yellow, green and pink.
When they were finally finished, they had done a really
great job on being creative. I had never seen a cake like
it before. Now, don’t get me wrong, it would have never
won first prize in a cake baking contest, but for a six
and seven year old, they displayed a lot of creativity.
If you could have seen them, you would have thought they
had just accomplished the biggest task the world had ever
seen. They were SOOOOO proud of themselves. Their cake
looked like Mommy’s—better yet, according to Erica,
it looked like Grandma’s.
After dinner that night, we had cake for dessert.
Now, I must give them their prompts. The cake LOOKED
really good. But once it cooled off, the part of the
cake that wasn’t completely done had sunk into the middle
of the cake. And when we cut the cake, it didn’t taste
all that great. Actually, there were quite a bit of
egg shells in the cake which made it quite crunchy.
I had to shoot my husband prisms so he would keep his
mouth shut and not say anything bad about the cake.
Of course I encouraged them and told them what a
fabulous job they had done with the cake and how
wonder it had turned out. But children are sometimes
brutally honest, even with themselves, and both Erica
and Eli were quick to say, “This might look like a good
cake, but it doesn’t really taste all that good.”
They were trying to figure out what the hard white
things were that were in the cake.
Being me, I had to take this opportunity and share
with them one of life’s true lessons that I wanted
to share with you today.
See, a lot of times we have absolutely no problem
with spending hours working on the outside of ourselves
trying to make us “appear” beautiful—going to the salon,
getting our nails done, legs waxed, pedicures, shopping
for hours for the right shoes--but we become very
impatient when it comes to working to make the necessary
changes on the inside, the part that counts.
Erica and Eli spent the most time decorating the cake
and displayed a lot of impatience when it came to waiting
for the cake to be complete. Even though they were warned
that the cake was not quite ready, they were willing to
sacrifice the taste, because of their impatience.
Working to make true changes in your life, means starting
from the inside and working your way out. But for the most
part, it won’t happen over night. Sometimes it takes what
may seem like forever. But don’t let your impatience allow
you to compromise the greatness that you will become. If
it requires that you go back into the oven for a few more
minutes, or a few more days, or weeks, or months, or years
—do it. Trust me. The end results will be all worth it.
Not only will you look like Grandma’s cake, but you will
taste like it too.
Dawn Fields is a Motivational Speaker, Life Coach and Author. She helps you discover and live your life's purpose in a down-to-earth, easily comprehensive type of way. Visit her web site at http://www.dawnfields.com and be sure to sign up for Your Life's Purpose newsletter by sending a blank email to mailto:yourlifespurpose-subscribe@topica.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Tune in each and every Thursday to Your Life's Purpose Interactive Internet Radio Show at 9 p.m. EST http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm
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