Of Determination And Rewards: Secret Recipe Cookies And The Happiness Factor

The Backstory:

May I tell you a sweet story? When I was a kid, my dad asked me to bake cookies for him to take to work. He had a construction job that kept him away from the farm Monday through Friday and liked to have “a sweet taste of home” with him. (Mom was not a great baker, so that’s why he came to me.)

In a mad-scientist sort of way, I combined all the things he loved in cookies, and my recipe was born. Over the years, I’ve tweaked it numerous times—adding a bit of this and a smidge of that—and the results have developed a fan base. Whenever I want to thank somebody, or show them “Luv’n from the oven,” I bake and bring a batch along. The folks who take care of my car maintenance are often recipients of those cookies.

Mid-Story:

A few weeks ago the uber-wonderful gentleman who schedule’s my car’s service, Ryan, emailed a request:

     “One of my techs is curious as to what it would cost to have two dozen of those amazing cookies made for him.  He has been doing a 36-week body training regime for competition, and he is looking at post-training “spoils” to consume.”

     I was amused and flattered, to say the least. A person I didn’t even know was choosing to celebrate the conclusion of rigorous training with my cookies! I said I would give him the cookies on the condition he would do something nice for someone else at some point.  The response I quickly received was, “Done!”

Today’s Story:  

This morning I shuffled out of bed and baked a double batch of cookies. Baking is something I always enjoy, but it felt particularly special today. Extra love was tossed in the bowl with the other ingredients. I took the cookies, hot, gooey, and fragrant from the oven, down to the dealership. Ryan said, “Would you like to meet Corey?” Of course! Corey took a break from his work and was charming and sooooooo appreciative!

He told me that the 36-week diet and bodybuilding process had been hell and, as a result, that he had frequently been in a bad mood.

     “I was at a low point when Ryan texted me that you were bringing the cookies. I literally cried. Honestly, I have had dreams about them, and they have been the carrot dangling at the end of the stick helping me push through the last part of my diet plan.”  

C’mon! How cute is that? I don’t know what competition(s) Corey was in, but he took a first, a second, and a couple of third places. There is no question he is one dedicated young man. How many of us start something that difficult and follows through?

Now he says he is done, and just wants his life back. He then gave me a lovely hand-written thank you card with a $20 bill in it.  Awe. That card is definitely going in my warm fuzzies file.

A thoughtful, dedicated, man who chooses to celebrate a major accomplishment with my cookies? The best part of my day!