As I walked through the Aljunied MRT station in Singapore, a bake-shop delivery bag summarised my life aspirations. I had not imagined ever using these words in this context, and yet the three-part combination said it all. Live, Love, bake.
Life is a journey that requires action. Each day is a step defined by what I do. My target is to live. The ingredients required for the target at the end of my journey are to live, love, and bake. There are many words that one could use; on this day, these fit perfectly.
In the two months since I walked past the delivery person’s bag, I have come to see the three words as a way to define how I execute my vision of where I want to be when my journey is complete. In context, each ingredient is required for the outcome to be successful. Life’s whispers are a personal reminder revelation that includes the following.
Living is verb, not a noun. Life is realised through action. Even the act of stillness is the result which follows a decision. What I choose to do, good, bad, or otherwise, defines what living means for me. By itself, it is without meaning. More is required.
How I live is a key ingredient to the recipe. In using Love as an all-encompassing word, I find that I am stirring empathy, compassion, community, acceptance, and respect together in a wonderful mix that is greater than the sum of its parts. The word reflects the mysterious combination of intent and engagement with an unconditional view of the greater family that I belong to. It is a word that clarifies and informs life and living.
Baking is the combination of what is outside of my heart and choice. It is the addition of heat and the confines of the community in which one finds oneself where to live and love come together as “Real Life for those who work on God’s side.” (Romans 2.7). Baking transcends natural boundaries and barriers to bring my target into the moment that is now.
