LIFE IS LIKE A CAKE

I sometimes think life is like a cake. Your very own unique cake made by you without a recipe and only your creativity.

You have a rough idea of what sort of cake you want to make. You might like to make a berry tart or chocolate cake or lemon cake. Let’s go with a layered berry sorbet and chocolate truffle tart! In life you also have a rough idea of what you want to do and achieve. You set yourself goals for yourself or have a vision of what you want.

And you have a few basic guidelines on how to make the cake. For example sorbet needs frozen berries and a freezer, chocolate truffle needs cocoa, nuts and a blender, other cakes might need an oven, and so on. In life you have rough guidelines based on your own beliefs or values and society’s on how to achieve the goals or vision you have. For example will you follow the conventional systems of play, school, career, family, old age; or add, omit, focus on certain things?

Then you collect the ingredients. You know what you will need to make a good cake – the cocoa, berries, nuts, honey, etc. Just like in life you have the ingredients of your lifestyle that make you happy. Of course the ingredients for everyone’s lives are different, based on what you enjoy doing, values, beliefs, situations, etc. For example I love being active and exercising, the outdoors and fresh air, drinking water and eating nutritiously, good relationships with family and friends, meditation and reflection. Essentially all the things that constitute a healthy lifestyle and what I need to be happy.

Other than ingredients, you also have to consider the quantities. You might want to add lots of cocoa powder but just a pinch of salt, and there has to be the right amount of berries to balance the rich chocolate. Just like in life you need different elements in certain quantities. Too much or too little is not good, it has to be just right. Of course the right quantities and balance again are different for everyone, and sometimes takes testing. For example I sometimes think I have all the right ingredients but at times I don’t really use them in the right quantities, in a balanced way. In my life I’ve been through phases where I have over-exercised, under-eaten, over-eaten, underslept, overslept, worked too hard, worked too little, been too emotional, not cared enough. And in each of those phases I haven’t been as happy and healthy as I could have been. It was always important to realise and take the time to find balance.

Now, with the ingredients and quantities you also have different ways to combine them to make the cake. There might be general guidelines of what does and doesn’t work. But you still choose how to go about it, just like in life. You can also make different layers for the cake. Maybe just one chocolate and one berry, or alternate chocolate and berry. Layers may vary in thickness, texture, colour, taste. Just like in life you have different ages and/or phases. One layer for when you were a baby, another for childhood, school, career, etc. Or maybe each decade. Or each place you lived. There are many ways to divide up life.

Then there are the decorations. These can be within each layer and/or at the very end. These are what make the cake extra special and detailed. In life you have this too, those special moments you will always remember.

All along the way you can also tweek the plan according to how things are going. Maybe you want to add some extra cinnamon or vanilla to the ingredients, a bit more cocoa. It is important to note that the idea (for the cake and life) may change along the way. You wont be able to undo what you have already done, but you can change the direction.

Finally you have a cake! It may be amazing! But you can always still add some more decorations or tweeks. The recipe can be changed.

If in the end the cake really doesn’t seem to be working, you can start again. You wont be able to take back the time and effort you already put in nor rewind. But you can start fresh with the remaining time you have. The first attempt wont have gone to waste because you will have learnt – what ingredients work, what flavours work together, etc.

So, what kind of cake will you make? :)