Now that may not sound like much of a hardship but for me, sharing my home baked goods means I don’t have to spend my life attached to a treadmill, and I don’t keep going up dress sizes (who can afford to be continually buying new clothes).
But there are other distinct advantages. Giving away cakes and other baked goods creates such a sense of goodwill towards you amongst your friends and in your community, that good things happen in return.
I call it Cake Karma.
Here are some real life examples of Cake Karma at work.
I took half of this Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting to my next door neighbours (only half a cake mind you). One week later, I came home to find that my grass had been mowed by my neighbour’s husband. All for half a cake – half a very good carrot cake, but still.
I took a practice version of this Intensely Chocolatey Cherry Cake I wanted to make for a special occasion into my office to share – it was delicious.
A few days later, one of my colleagues left a small gift on my desk. She’d spotted a super cute set of cookie cutters while she was shopping and thought of me.
A friend was in hospital for a while. On one visit I took an enormous plate of mini cupcakes made using this white cake recipe. She loved them – she ate them, the nurses ate them and her visitors ate them. She said it was like a party in her room. About six months later, I ended up in the same hospital and my friend visited me. While she was there she popped in on the nurses who had cared for her and made sure they knew I was the baker of those awesome cupcakes. Recipes were exchanged and I was very well taken care of.
Now, sure – my neighbour might have mown my lawn anyway (not that he had before), my colleague might have given me a present unexpectedly (not that she had before) and I would have been taken care of in hospital, but you know what – sharing those cakes sure didn’t hurt.
Sharing homemade cakes seems to ingratiate people towards you.
People are drawn towards this sort of kindness and respond to your generosity of spirit, selflessness and warmth.
And I think you get kindness in return.
But be warned, Cake Karma doesn’t work if you have the expectation of getting something back in return. That’s called barter. You exchange one thing for another. That’s not karma.
But bake with a generous spirit and share with a warm heart and you will receive.
Just think about how much better the world would be if more people shared the cakes they baked.
Go on, bake something to share and jump on board the Cake Karma cycle. Long may it continue.
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