Perhaps it is about memory. Perhaps it is about perception. I was thinking back to what I used to think was beautiful when I was young. The annual birthday celebration and other events of note usually called for a special cake, often store bought. I was as enamored of their beauty then, as of the decadent indulgence. For all that the cakes represent, a celebratory marker of joy and moment, sometimes other truths lie at the edges. Perhaps a cultural pretension, cakes and ceremony work for some, not all; but allow all the pretense of happiness and belonging, for awhile.