// Do you remember the last time someone went out of their way to do something nice for you? How did it make you feel? Probably great. This is a reminder that you can make other people feel that way. Any day of the week. #RandomActOfPastry //
I can’t really take credit for the idea of a Random Act of Pastry. Many people have done this before me, and many will do it again. As long as I can remember, my mom has stayed up late, and woken up early to bake cookies or coffee cake for her family, friends, colleagues, or students. Literally, she takes baked goods to her students every week of class, for the entire semester. And she insists on taking something different each time. My dad will grab a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts before he goes to some meetings. And, you know what? It’s amazing what a difference it makes. The tone of the meeting or the day totally changes. People start to look forward to the meetings with either of them, because they might get a treat. Which is better than dreading a meeting in its entirety, for sure.
So, I’ve always kind of done this, just because I grew up around it. Some cookies here, a cake there, coffee cake other places. It’s really fun to see people get excited out of nowhere. Then, one day in the past six months, I realized that the impact could be so much greater. Leave a piece of cake or two, wrapped up, on someone’s porch. Text them later to say it’s there. They got so excited! Leave a miniature honey cake on a coworker’s desk with a sticky note saying ‘Happy Tuesday! It’s honey cake.’ Then she got so excited. A week later, I had incense on my desk. From another person, a few days later, I had a miniature potted succulent.
And ya wanna know what? Those gestures TOTALLY made my day. It made me want to do more. To make more people happy.
I think when people first hear about doing something like this, committing a Random Act of Pastry, they think, “Wait, where in the world do you get the time to make this stuff? You must really have nothing to do.” That’s totally not the case. I just see how happy it makes people. And that’s worth more to me than extra sleep. The news is shitty and hard to hear. People are mean to each other. Work can be really draining and unsatisfying. What we really have in life is each other. If we can’t try to make each other happy, what are we even doing?
Here are some key points to keep in mind with committing a Random Act Of Pastry (RAOP):
- You don’t have to use a pastry. I do, because I am baking 24/7. Try a tube of lipstick, a magazine, a handwritten letter. Just do something!
- Who needs a RAOP? Your coworker, your friend, your sister-in-law, your frenemy, your local business owners… The list goes on and on!
- Reminder that you don’t need to wait for a special event.
- A birthday should not go by without a celebration. Get a cake, or something to stick candles in, light the candles, and sing happy birthday. Your friend will always remember that you went out of your way to do this.
- You do definitely, absolutely have the time to do this.
And if you don’t leave anything at all, giving five minutes of your time to listen to someone and hear what they are going through goes a pretty long way, too.
These are just some ideas. Get out there and make someone’s day! I know you would love it if they did something for you.
Get in touch with me on social media – let me know what you’re doing and how awesome it is! Use #RandomActOfPastry !!