The beauty of Standing in the middle of someone else's dream come true

​I'm a Dunkin Donuts guy, not a VEGAN donuts guy. But my friend Jess Reilly and her partner in life, Mark, recently opened a plant based bakery in North Carolina. I was headed to North Carolina yesterday and figured I needed to stop and check it out.

So I'll get this out of the way first. I ate the donuts. They were quite possibly the best tasting baked goods to ever pass through the picky borders of my mouth. Like, how does someone do that without "real" milk and butter and all things animal that you NEED to make things taste good?

I don't know - but a miracle is happening in the Plant Cakes Bake Shop. A miracle I tell you.

More meaningful to me than the baked goods that I walked away with yesterday, is the hat I bought. The hat that has Jess and Mark's store logo on it. Because to me, that hat will forever say: dreams can come true.

I met Jess about 7 years ago through the running family I belong to. When I met Jess - and she'd be the first to tell you this - Jess was a mess. I think that's why I liked Jess from day one.

Since then, I've watched her go on this beautiful life journey of rediscovering faith and confidence and love. When I walked into her bakery yesterday, and saw the smiling faces of all the customers, and saw Jess proudly serving them, I knew I was staring at a transformation. A sweet and beautiful transformation.

My trip to North Carolina was somewhat random, really. But standing there with Jess, I knew there wasn't really anything random about it at all.

Because the truth is, my life is a mess these days. Chances are - if you're reading this - yours is too. Because most days that's what I'm writing about here - messy living.

But yesterday, standing there watching Jess, I felt less messy than I've felt in awhile.

One, there is something beautiful watching someone you admire experience a dream come true. There's something uplifting about being a spectator to someone winning at life whom you've been rooting for all along. Everything in me wanted to hand her a big life trophy or something. A crown or a parade. But her face told me she didn't need one....

And two - there's something encouraging that happens when a dreamer witnesses someone else's dream come true. There's something that screams possible when you stand staring at a mess turned store owner. And there is hope. There is hope when you're in line with so many people receiving life from someone who was once unsure where she was ever going to get life from again.

I'm proud of you Jess Reilly. You are one strong woman. You're an incredible human.

You're working miracles in that bake shop. I received one yesterday. And as a bonus - I ate some of the most delicious baked goods ever.