..and I Give you Chocolate Muffins

There seems to be something therapeutic about baking. The process of bringing totally different items together, into one, and making something wholesome and new. It is not only that though. The actual physical effort involved in mixing and churning into a smooth batter. Is it consistent enough yet? Stealing a sniff or two to check the result of what is to come. Filling the house with the smell of domesticity. There is something uniquely gratifying in watching, through the oven door, the beginning of the dome - an indication that all is well. An eager watch on the clock to make sure it does not overstay its welcome in the oven. A skip and a cheer when it finally does come out. Most of all, however, it is in the sharing and the inviting of others to taste and enjoy. 

There seems to be something therapeutic about giving. Not asking for anything in return. It is in the seeing of an expression of appreciation; a pleasant surprise. It is a token of humanity in small forms, that shows that we are all living on the same planet; breathing the same air. We are all the same, even though we are all different. It is making someone's life a little better or helping someone see the light in a dark tunnel. It is definitely all about putting aside notions of self-righteousness, being a little less bourgeois - petit bourgeois perhaps - and coming down to earth. Being open and receiving to be able to be giving is such a satisfying experience. Nothing compares.

When baking, one is really giving and, when giving, one is really coming full circle in maintaining the bond of humanity.