Around Town

A few words of encouragement can go for miles in reaching people you didn’t even know were listening.

Last night was the cookie exchange and it was nothing short of exciting, fun and completely heartwarming.

I set up an event through a social network, started threads for people in the area expressing my interest and excitement in all hopes of getting others involved. Mainly because I wanted to bake, but really it was to get others who loved to bake, to actually do it and see if we could all meet up. An impromptu meetup so to speak.

For an entire month, I dusted off the pom poms and started cheering people on to see how many I could get involved. This is what blows my mind.

Timout Chicago, a citywide paper/website that promotes events happening around the city heard my voice. They published my event in their newsletter and then also on their website!! I knew that the original network I organized the event through had published it as well, but to see an outside organization pay attention to this little event really hit me, and made me feel a huge ounce of pride.

Everyone came that had signed up, people from Timeout showed up not knowing anyone and we all started conversations and laughing over anything and everything. At the helm of a cookie.

This is what I love about people, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you do or where you come from. There is always something that will eventually bring us all together into this crazy melting pot that is life.

After a hugely successful exchange, I walked away with an appreciation for those who made it out and for myself.

It sounds selfish but it’s really not. Every single person who came, came up to me and kept telling me that they were so thankful that the event actually happened and we all were able to make it out.

Do I smell a future in PR, that's probably the aroma of the cookies so I am not counting on it. You never know how you affect someone, the smallest words of encouragement or even a glint of excitement can hit someone without you even knowing it.

I will say that going through last night made me realize that I like who I am as a person, that I went into the exchange not knowing anyone and walked away with future dinner partners, conversations with a food scientist and got the plans of two girls who (luck would have it) are getting married on the same day, in the same year!

What an incredible way to wrap up a year.

From my kitchen to yours, love what you do, show excitement and the world opens up to you!