Daily prompt:  What giant step did you take where you hoped your leg wouldn’t break? Was it worth it, were you successful in walking on the moon, or did your leg break?

I don’t consider myself much of a risk taker, although I imagine every day we get out of bed is something of a risk.  About thirteen or so years ago, I took a pretty big risk when I set about trying to sell my cheesecakes and cookies. 

I’d been baking for years with great success for friends, family, and co-workers; the encouragement to get paid for what I love to do prompted this:

The first year I took orders from co-workers and family, who either didn’t have the time or inclination, to do their own holiday baking.  I’d made an attractive brochure that included some pictures and an order form.  Of course there was an “order by” to insure delivery for the holidays, but invariably someone would want something and I would do my best to oblige.

My kitchen would become a factory setting for mixing, baking and creatively packaging all the goodies.  I would work full days at “real job” and every night and weekend from the day after Thanksgiving until December 25th, my kitchen was in a constant state of production.

For three consecutive years I took orders in October and November in preparation for the season.  Baskets of cookies and biscotti; cheesecakes, milky way cakes, sour cream coffee cakes filled my freezer.  Mind you I didn’t have a very big freezer, so the front hallway and second floor balcony porch doubled as cold storage for the inventory needed to fill my orders.

Since then some of the tools of the trade have improved, as have several of my recipes and techniques.  With the exception of the holiday season I found myself unemployed, I haven’t baked for profit in about eight years.  There were times I thought “I could be the next Mrs. Fields”.   However, the idea of the risk involved in truly branching out to run my own business, is not a risk I can take right now.   

I [almost] always find a great deal of joy in the process of  baking.  Today, I want to thank all those friends, family members and co-workers, who placed orders; and, more importantly, continue to believe in my baking talents!

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