Cinnamon Swirl Amazingness

This week I made the best bread. I mean, I like to think all the bread is lovely and delicious, but this week I made my (current) favorite. I am a bit toast obsessed, and you can read my rhapsodic ode to toast and this bread in particular when you check out the Cinnamon Swirl Bread recipe. I hope you actually stop reading this now and come back AFTER your dough is rising, I feel so strongly about it. But when you do come back, you can hear a bit about my deliveries this week.

Did you catch that I did say deliveries? As in plural. I had such a grand time making cinnamon swirl bread this week, that I actually did two full deliveries. Toast apparently makes me a bit of an overachiever–I always knew it was a superfood. The first was dropped off to an amazing family when I picked my son up from a birthday party at their house.  They have a large family, and I found out at pick up that part of them are gluten-free.  Well, the good news is that that probably means more for the few that could eat it.  And even though the mom couldn’t have any, she sent me the kindest text later telling me how much her family enjoyed it. Given the number of people (including really good friends of mine!) with differing levels of gluten allergies, sensitivities and or phobias, it was bound to happen!

The second delivery was to a long time friend, coworker and spirited supporter.  She fell ill this week, and I frankly felt that there was nothing better than the above-mentioned bread to make her feel better.  I was sure it had curative properties.  Well, when she came out of her sick haze, she posted about getting the bread on her Instagram account, and I about burst into tears reading it.  Her words were so kind and lovely!  Unexpected kindness like that can take your breath away a bit.  As I mentioned, this particular friend is a spirited supporter of her people, so it really shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it definitely was. Any time I think about it, I feel immediately warm all over–literally loved from the inside out by her words.

That surprise kindness got me thinking about another that happened this past week. On this past Saturday night, fate conspired that my husband, my daughter, and I were out to dinner together. We were having a lovely evening at our favorite watering hole and just enjoying an evening out when the flower girl came in. I am not sure if the flower girl at restaurants is a thing everywhere, but here a young girl, usually dressed in a cocktail dress, comes into restaurants with a basket full of individually wrapped roses for sale. She walks slowly around and sells flowers to first dates, or maybe it is second or third dates that indulge. As we were sitting there, the flower girl stopped briefly to talk to the lady at the next table over. I probably wouldn’t have paid attention, but earlier the woman had chatted with my daughter about the drawing she was busily working on before our meal came. Well, the next thing I knew, the flower girl came over and handed my young daughter a flower. My husband went to pay for it–a total sucker for his daughter–but it had already been paid for. I was confused for a half second, but then I realized it was the woman and her husband at the next table. I turned around and exposed their kindness, apologizing if they preferred to remain anonymous, but simply wanting to thank them. Then I turned to my daughter and she also sincerely thanked them. My daughter was, in fact, so utterly delighted and charmed, that she really couldn’t get over a stranger just buying her a rose. When we got home, we picked out a vase for it, and she was so pleased to get to keep it in her room. I couldn’t help but look at it and smile all week long. I don’t really know why the woman bought it for my daughter, but I do hope it brought her joy as well. I like to think it did.

Both of these events really impressed upon me the power of a small gesture or kindness to really impact someone else.  Maybe the kindness echoes for just a few minutes, or maybe it is something that has a much longer lasting impact. But it definitely lifts them up. It alters their perspective and reminds them that they are important, and loved. The point is, it takes intention on our part,  and yes, sometimes it takes resources or time. And yet, what an amazing opportunity to bless another person. After this week, I am more resolved than ever to look for these moments in my daily life and to take advantage of them. I really can’t imagine a better way to spend my life. What a cool blessing it is to delight others.