pie, baking, Waitress, Broadway, Gospel

What Baking (or something else) Can Do

Yesterday was National Pie Day (not to be confused with the March 14 National Pi Day). I love pie. Does anyone not love pie?

I got to see the ultimate pie musical Waitress for the second time this past weekend. It’s based on a movie by the same name that has been a favorite of mine for years. Shortly before the film premiered, Adrienne Shelley, the woman who wrote, directed and starred (as Dawn) was found dead in her apartment (later a construction worker was arrested and convicted of manslaughter). The musical is dedicated to her memory. Waitress was the first show on Broadway to have a females in the four lead creative roles: book writer, choreographer, composer (Sarah Bareilles) and director. So it’s a got a more going on for it than just pie.

It’s the story of Jenna, a young waitress whose life is a pretty big disaster, but who finds comfort and escape and a creative outlet in pie making.  She creates her pies based on what’s going on in her life.

There’s:

Almost makes you believe again pie

Betrayed by my eggs pie

Jumping without a net pie

I don’t want Earl’s baby pie (a vinegar pie)

and a whole slew of others.

Like any good story, it’s more than just one person’s story. It’s about some imperfect, basically good people just trying to do the best they can. You know, like the rest of us.

Jenna bakes pies to think and to escape, but also because she loves baking the pies and she loves seeing people enjoy what she has made.

What is your pie baking equivalent? What do you do and where do you go when life has brought you to the edge, and you are in need of a soft place to land? If you don’t know the answer, then it’s time to claim or re-claim that thing that made you happy as a kid or to pull out that talent that you’ve tucked away until you had more room in your life or to learn something new that brings you (and those around you) some joy. We all need something in our lives that give us all the Jenna-pie-making feels.

Make it work
Make it easy
Make it clever, craft it into pieces
Make it sweet
Crimp the edges
We’ll make it sour and serve with lemon wedges
Even doubt
Can be delicious
And it washes off of all the dirty dishes
When it’s done
I can smile
It’s on someone else’s plate for a while
I’ll place it on display
And then I’ll slice and serve my worries away
I can fix this
I can twist it into sugar, butter covered pieces
Never mind what’s underneath it
I have done it before
I’ll bake me a door to help me get through
I learned that from you
Mama, it’s amazing what baking can do

You May Also Like

Church, Inclusion and the Bechdel Test

FGF #189: News to Make You Smile

FGF #188: News to Make You Smile

FGF #187: News to Make You Smile