This past week, I conducted an experiment. Instead of test tubes, I had mini cupcakes; instead of chemicals, I had frostings, sprinkles & a smattering of embellishments. To whit, I made 200 cupcakes for the New Church Day picnic at the church & offered a “frost & sprinkle” activity for any &
all comers.
John & I were tucked
into the cloisters, which turned out to be an ideal location. Most picnickers didn’t know we were
there, so instead of being inundated with dozens & dozens of kids & adults
waiting to frost & decorate mini cupcakes, we enjoyed ourselves
with the about 40 souls who happened upon us & enjoyed picking out a mini, a frosting & a sprinkle.
We had fun, dozens
of kids & adults enjoyed it, and John took in stride his first outing as the Cupcakester. And I came away with good data for putting on our next community cupcake event (the July 4th picnic).
Next time (less then 10 days
from now!), will prefrost the cupcakes (a combination of chocolate &
vanilla cupcakes and chocolate & vanilla frostings), keeping them tucked away in a cooler.
Will haul them out as needed, about 2 dozen at a time, allowing enough
time for frostings to warm up enough to retain a sprinkle or embellishment,
without the frosting melting in the hot July temps. And no one will have to wait for a child to
decide which topping to pick! (Ginny set
the record on 06/19, taking 5 minutes to choose!)
Instead of being at a long
table, we’ll have the cooler with us at our picnic blanket, along with two of the small portable tables Leslie gave us when she moved to her
parents – just the right size for a container of cupcakes on one table, an
array of topping options on the other. Easy to be open for business, or just enjoy our
picnic. Win-win, my favorite combination!
Offering cupcakes provides a reason for us to be at the picnic. We don’t have children or extended family,
aren’t particularly fond of picnics, don’t really have a spur to attend the
community event. Cupcakes
provide a reason for & method of connection!
What amazed me with the New
Church Day picnic foray was the number of adults who asked, “Who pays for your ingredients?”, who were genuinely startled when I answered, "We do." It seemed incomprehensible to them
that I would underwrite such a venture.
Let’s see – the cost of making the cupcakes was under $5. Frostings set us back about $8. Yes, I bought multi-colored non-pareils, rainbow
jimmies, chocolate jimmies & a box of Nerds, adding another $8. Didn’t have the dazzling choice of
embellishments & sprinkles that’s offered at Bryn Athyn Bounty, baked mini
cupcakes instead of the standard size, and had a relatively limited choice of
frostings. Did the whole thing for just over $20.
Yet some people would
consider that a princely sum. Including
people with considerable wealth.
Why
would I pay good money to give something away to kids & adults who aren’t
related or connected to me in any way but through the heart? A shocking # of whom seem stumped that I’d invest in cupcakes
& frostings et al without thought of reimbursement or profit. (At the New Church Day picnic, one man tried
to forcibly pay me for the mini he frosted & decorated for an adult
friend – he could not comprehend my refusal.)
Who pays? That one
question gets in the way of doing so much good.
Last year, I put on a spur-of-the-moment New Year’s Eve party at our
local retirement village. Rented a
classic Cary Grant & Katharine Hepburn movie, bought several bottles of
Martinelli’s sparkling cider, hauled out my champagne flute collection, whipped
up about four basic desserts (fanciest was the lemon bars). We had a grand time & the whole thing cost me less than
$30. What was my return on investment? Kept New Year's Eve depression at bay for two grannie clients & got to see the fun that everyone had, including
John & myself.
Out of that evening came my dream of putting on a monthly pot luck
dinner at Cairnwood Village, each month provided & served by a different group of community "youngers" in thanks for all
that we have received from our older friends & relatives. It would be an open invitation, welcoming all
the Cairnwood Village
Nothing fancy. My dream is for a true pot luck,
with each younger bringing a family dish he or she particularly enjoys making. Could be as simple & low cost as spaghetti
casseroles, tossed salads, fruit juice & water, cupcakes & brownies for
dessert.
The food wouldn’t matter; the
love behind it would.
Yes, it would take a teensy bit of money to put on. Yes, it would
require time organizing & setting up & cleaning afterward. But our time & energy, giving both freely, even joyously, is what provides the value.
To my shock, most people I
talk to about my idea of a monthly pot luck consider it pie in the sky, a non starter.
Who'd pitch in to make it happen? What's in it for them?
From my point of view, who wouldn’t?
Who wouldn’t have a sense of reward from saying thank you to people who deserve hearing it every day?
But it seems that to some
folks, if an effort doesn’t include a pay back for them, it isn’t worth their
time & certainly not their money or inconvenience.
I don’t believe that’s most people. I believe that most people long to offer some
form of pay back for all the bounty we’ve received, especially those of us in
my small hometown.
There’s a great line in the
film Scrooged, near the end of the flick.
Frank Cross, a once-sorry excuse for a human being who has seen
the light, tells a TV audience, “It's
Christmas Eve! It's... it's the one night of the year when we all act a little
nicer, we... we... we smile a little easier, we... w-w-we... we... we cheer a
little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people
that we always hoped we would be!”
He goes on to talk about how it would be if we carried that Christmas Eve
feeling into the whole year, that once you get a taste for doing for others,
you’ll want it again & again. A great riff on true charity, which does more for the heart & soul of the
person offering it than it does for the recipient.
Personally, I’ve been hooked for years. It feels great to let others know you see
them, you appreciate them, you want to say THANKS. My belief is that my little hometown is
filled with people waiting to get a taste of such sweetness, to reach out &
let others know they are seen, valued, appreciated.
Who’s going to pay? Does
it matter? We can all get unimagined returns on even the smallest investment. We just have to make it, then feel it pay off.
Think of your fellow man, lend
him a helping hand –
Put a little love in your heart.
You see it's gettin' late, oh
please don't hesitate –
Put a little love in your heart.
And the world will be a better
place
And the world will be a better
place
For you and me you just wait
you just wait and see and see…
No comments:
Post a Comment