Much has happened since my fingers last had time to compose a post.

There was exciting news: a large order for thousands of cupcakes.

There was the arrival of our new mixer, rolling racks, a large freezer truck & cupcake pans.

There was joy when everyone at the bakery pulled together to make, decorate, package & ship the cupcakes.

There was a brief reprieve of our intense baking production schedule, when we were able to actually get ahead for the first time in months.

Nestled in between all of this was our first visit to the Natick Farmer’s Market. The day was gorgeous, the shoppers friendly, the enthusiasm for our presence and our products overwhelming and palpable. We sold out, and I drove home feeling satiated and excited.

And, then? Then there was Monday.

Monday was an awful karmic joke, something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Remember that big freezer truck? Well, we have been working hard, filling that 36’ freezer with tons of our prep work. Endless amounts of cookie dough, scooped & waiting to get baked. Thousands of rugelach, waiting for their turn in the oven to be delivered to stores for the quickly approaching Jewish holidays. The truck represented our proximity to success, until…it turned off.

What began as a routine Monday morning quickly turned into a day of sober acceptance when my co-worker, Max, went to get something out of the truck. Instead of being greeted by blasts of icy air, Max opened the door to a hot truck reeking of spoilage and waste. Welcome to our Monday.

What does all of this mean? It means our Monday was derailed. Instead of prepping for our weekly deliveries, everyone in the bakery immediately changed gears and started operation clean this shit up. The packagers spent hours transferring the waste into bags, trekking back & forth from the truck to the dumpster. There was the electrician to call who found the problem, a simple tripped circuit. The kitchen staff quickly started mixing doughs & batters, we all scooped cookies for hours, and we managed to re-group as much as possible.

But, to be honest, I haven’t figured out how to mentally re-group with the same speed and ease as the kitchen. My eyes burn, my heart aches and my brain is racing, planning each minute, calculating how much time we have to make everything we need to make.

I know my motto in life is ‘onward & upward’, but right now I don’t feel like being the leader. I would much prefer someone else to lead and offer me a strong hand to help me surmount this mountain.