Secret Lives

I wonder if most people have a secret life outside of work that is completely different from what they show to people between 9 and 5 everyday? You know...what does the woman behind the USPS counter do at the end of the day? Is she on a bowling league? Maybe taking tap dancing classes? Or, is she learning Russian in order to be a Secret Agent for the CIA?

For so long my passion has been baking and many of my friends are fully aware of that. A handful of my clients-turned- friends are the happy recipients of the occasional box of Christmas cookies, but the majority of the people I come in contact with have no idea that I am a cookbook and baking junkie. Yes. If there were a 12-step program for bakers I would be a life-long member. Hi, my name is Ginger, I own 45 cookbooks and I am a baker.

The challenge for me is how to balance the baking 'thing' with my regular job and whether or not to even let my clients know that sometimes, during 'business' hours, I do something other than recruiting. Would they take me seriously if they knew I was up to my elbows in a 25 lb. sack of flour, scooping cupfuls to fill the plastic bin? I don't know if they would be so understanding. So here I am, every day, trying to balance baking and recruiting. All I can say is thank you God for giving people the technology to create cordless phones and headsets. The loud beeping of the oven timer sometimes throws the folks I'm on the phone with, but I think it's kindof endearing when they find out I have a cake in the oven. At least that is what I am telling myself.

Today, while working in my office, doing what I do, I found my mind wandering into the kitchen and the next thing I knew I was dipping frozen cake balls into melted chocolate and topping them with a mixture of pink, red and white dots and some with giant sized heart-shaped quins in anticipation of a meeting tonight. For me, there is no greater joy than creating something completely yummy out of butter, eggs, flour and mounds of chocolate. It is such a beautiful thing. Then, to bring them to the meeting and watch the faces when they take that first bite. The slow turn of the head, the meeting of the eyes and then, the lips mouthing the words..."did you make this?" YES! Joy courses through my being and I know, right then, that I have done a good thing.

I do have an ulterior motive. It's easier to make everyone else fat than it is for me to lose these last 10 lbs. I'm hopeful the strategy will work.