Earlier this week I was coming out of a Starbucks drive-thru and attempting to take a left hand turn onto a busy street with no stop light. I groaned inwardly as my hopes of actually making it to work on time became slimmer and slimmer. I waited maybe a minute before a semi-truck came barreling down the busy street and stopped to let me go. Not only did she stop, but she checked her mirrors and waved me on when there weren't any other cars coming in the other lane.
I chose to go through the drive-thru that day because I didn't have the extra two or three minutes to park the car, get out, go wait in line, order, make small talk with the barista, grab a sleeve for my hot cup, unlock the car, get in, start the car again and drive.
Our "fast food" mentality has conditioned us to expect what we want, when we want it and separated us from the everyday human interactions that keep us grounded. The truck driver that took a moment to let me turn maybe didn't think twice about it, but it put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.
The smile I had on my face going into the office definitely gave the work day a sunny tint and kept my spirits up. I wanted to pass along that feeling to someone else, and what better way than to bake the happiness right into a cupcake?
My friend Ansley has been living abroad in Spain and returned home for a few short weeks before moving to the east coast for law school. When she emailed me to ask if I could make some cupcakes, of course I said yes! It was a sunny summer day in Seattle and happened to coincide with Seafair weekend (which means lots of boats, the Blue Angels, Hydroplane races and generally lots of chaos). For a yummy treat to top off a good old fashioned BBQ, I opted for fresh strawberry cake, whipped buttercream and more fresh strawberries on top!
Putting a smile on someone else's face (even a stranger) is something that is well worth taking a second of your time. And if everyone took the time to pay it forward? Well there would be less road rage, more kindness, less stress, and more happiness all around.
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