One of Those Days

All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming. 

~Helen Keller 

Everybody has bad days.

That’s just part of this crazy little thing called life.

But then, once in a while there are those suffering kind of days that bad doesn't begin to cover…

The kind you think you might never get over…

The kind that change the shape of your heart.

Well, everybody actually has those, too.

And I know that this might be one of those suffering kind of days for a lot of folks out there.

But like Helen Keller, I believe in overcoming.

That’s one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place.

I believe that artistic expression heals.

And my good friend Science tends to believe that, too. For example, a review of the literature by Stuckey and Nobel (2010) found that music engagement, visual arts, dance, and written expression all affect mental and physical health in positive ways.

Art changes lives for the better.

Consequently, art can change the world for the better (Yeah, I have never been accused of dreaming small).

So get out there, get your creative groove on, and be artful today... yes, especially today.

And when life hands you lemons, DO NOT settle for lemonade!

Make lemon pound cake instead.

I’ll even give you my recipe…

Barb’s Best Ever(!) Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter at room temp. (that’s only ½ pound — practically fat free!)

1 cup sugar, plus 1/3 cup more
4 eggs (yes, 4 — do not be a wimp and skimp)
½ tsp. dried lemon peel
¼ cup lemon juice, plus 1/3 cup more 
1½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder

(By the way, this recipe still rocks it gluten-free and dairy-free — just use any GF flour blend and sub. canola oil and ½ tsp. of salt for the butter)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9x9 cake pan.

Beat butter senseless, then add 1 cup of the sugar as a goodwill gesture. Beat it some more.

Add eggs one at a time (without the shells). Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat.

Add the lemon peel. Need I say it? Yes, BEAT.

Throw in 1 cup of flour and the baking power. Mix (Yeah, you thought I was going to say beat, didn't you?).

Add ¼ cup of lemon juice and remaining ½ cup of flour. Beat.

Pour into your oiled pan and bake for about 40 minutes… maybe 45… sometimes 50 – this is art, you know, so it varies. Anyway, you’ll know it’s done when a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs are okay).

Remove from oven, then mix your remaining 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup lemon juice (you thought I forgot about those didn't you? Didn't. So there). And here’s the best part — pour the lemon and sugar mix all over the top and let it soak into the cake.

Let cool, if you can wait that long.

Best if enjoyed with a friend or a stranger you’d like to have as a friend.

Plates are optional.

PROMPT: Create. Bake. Share. Look, the world is a better place already!