Nothing else will do

For some things there are no suitable replacements. But we try, don't we?

Like cake. There is no substitute for cake! It sucks when you can't have cake. You miss cake. And sometimes, just out of the blue you start thinking about cake.

So you grab a cookie. That doesn't do it. Maybe a donut. Nope. So now, maybe you hit the mall and look for a sweater, or buy a new leather jacket or two, just to distract yourself. But retail therapy doesn't help. You still can't deny that it's cake you want.

And there are days, like birthdays and anniversaries, you just expect cake to be there. And when there's no cake it's disappointing.

So why is it that we deny ourselves cake? "I'm too fat. Too old. I don't celebrate birthdays. I'm on a diet. I don't deserve cake. Cake is for other people. There's no good cake anymore."

There's no cake at my house. Well, that's not entirely true. I made a Rice Krispie cake last week. But that's not really cake. It was a feeble, lazy person's attempt at cake. Sure, I ate half the thing but it wasn't in any way satisfying.

I don't need a lot of cake. Just a taste of cake every once in a while. There are very few things on this earth better than cake. And this I know to be true... there are no substitutions.