Short & Sweet

When I say "sweet," you think icing, pink sugary frosting that licks the tops of round cherry-chip cookies. When you bite into one, a rush of candied-fruit flavors floods your mouth. But one cherry-chip cookie is simply not enough to satisfy your hunger for something sweet, so you keep searching...

Maybe "sweet" makes you think of a childhood friendship, that girl you sat next to at lunch who would always trade food with you. One half of your pb&j would morph into pastrami on rye. The two of you would giggle as you ran out the door to go to recess, dashing to the swings where you'd pump your legs with superhuman force in order to swing high enough so that your toes would touch the clouds. That's a sweet memory...

Or is the "sweetest" thing an act of compassion, a time when you knew someone was having a rough day so you decided to go work early and surprise them with a handwritten note that you propped-up next to a caffe latte. When they walked in and saw their small gift, you didn't even have to be looking at them to know that somewhere deep in their heart, they were feeling a sensation of warmth because they were thinking about how someone cared for them.

We often hear the phrase "short and sweet." It really is true that the "sweet" moments in life tend to be on the short side. It might be as fleeting as the taste of frosting on a cookie, the sound of children laughing on a playground or surprising someone with a random act of kindness, but regardless of its length or form, those sweet things bring us meaning.

When I have friends over every Friday night for our weekly Friday Night Dinner Party, I often think about those two or three hours of the week that we choose to spend with each other, sharing a homemade meal, conversation and just having fun. There are 168 hours in the week, yet these few hours stand out for me. It makes me realize that it doesn't take that much time out of our schedules to create a sweet occasion - a moment where we give of ourselves to those we care about, a moment where we show love without the expectation of being loved in return. The moment is sweet because it comes from a good place in our hearts. Even if it is short, we know it's worth it.

Create something "sweet" this week. Savor it.