D is for DONUT

One of my biggest accomplishments when I was working at the office was starting a Donut Club.  It all started when I quit the bagel club.  The bagel club was well established in the office for some time, and as the company grew, so did the bagel club.  It was up to 70+ members.  But when people would bring bagels, most people would still only bring two or three dozen bagels in.  The math didn't line up.  I also noticed I was always picking the bagel that was covered in sugar.  So I decided to quit.  And then I decided to start my own club.  A better club.  The Donut Club. 

It was invitation only at first and caused quite a stir in the office.  People were quitting the bagel club to join my new group.  The healthy committee at work even discussed it at one of their meetings.  I decided we would have a maximum of thirteen members.  A baker’s dozen.  It was like I was Donut Jesus and had twelve Donut disciples.  It became an ultra-exclusive, non-welcoming elitist group.  We wanted members who would appreciate the true power of the Donut.  And these weren’t just any Donuts.  These were Donuts from the best bakeries in the Metro Detroit area.  The Vinewood Bakery, Dutch Girl, The Donut Cutter, Main Street Donuts were just a few of the bakeries they came from.  When a spot opened up we’d hold contests.  There were two essay contests, a photo contest, and a trivia night.  Unfortunately, not everyone could make it in and some disgruntled contest losers started their own club.  The RDC.  The Rogue Donut Club.  They welcomed everyone and had no rules.  They didn't even require you to bring Donuts.  Who would want to be part of such a group?

Although we kept a close eye on who ate our Donuts and didn’t let just anybody in our group, there were times we showed generosity to the rest of the office.  Every Fat Tuesday all members would bring in a dozen paczkis to share with the office.  Thirteen members times a dozen paczkis = a lot of paczkis!  We had more paczkis than people in the office.  It was a magical day.  One year I had six paczkis at work.  I felt pretty weird by the end of the day.  It affected me so much I gave up sweets for all of lent.  I had enough sugar in my body, I’m not sure I even really noticed I gave anything up.

I’m no longer working in the office, and the Donut Club I started is just a skeleton of what it once was.  It is one of the things I miss most about working.  Friday was a great day with one big decision to make.  Size or flavor?  Lemon or jelly?  Apple fritter or old fashioned?  No matter what you'd chose you still had one great Donut.  In my case, it was usually two or three.  There is nothing like sitting around munching on great Donuts while asking everyone “So what are you doing this weekend?” 

So what is stopping me from having this same experience?  I do live just blocks away from one of the best bakeries.  So I will start another Donut Club.  This one will be ultra ultra exclusive with only two members.  And one of my members can’t eat Donuts yet…  That means I get two!  Well, you wouldn’t want me to let it go to waste, would you?