I always feel left out during the Girl Scout cookie season. I’ve been gluten-free for five years and every year I’ve had to say no to Thin Mints, Trefoils, and Samoas. So I was delighted when my college roommate, Stefanie, told me about Girl Scouts’ gluten-free cookie, Toffee-Tastic and offered to bring a box to our monthly dinner. This month, Stefanie (who’s the mom of twin first grade Girl Scouts) and I met in Pleasanton, on her side of the Bay. After a three-hour dinner + conversation + reconnection, we said goodbye and I put the Toffee-Tastic cookies in my giant purse, promising to text soon to schedule our next dinner date.
The drive home took about 40 minutes – and I thought about the box of Toffee-Tastic cookies the whole way home. I kept reaching for the cookie box in my purse on the passenger seat, but I resolved to wait, deciding to treat myself when I wasn’t distracted by driving.
The next day, I spent the morning working on my computer and talking to clients and then picked my sons up from school at 12:40. They get out of school early on Wednesdays so we had lunch together and then my older son went back to his room to finish his algebra homework and my younger son went to his room to practice the clarinet. I made a cup of tea and settled on the couch in the family room with three Toffee-Tastic cookies. A moment to relax. A sweet treat. A reward for working hard all morning. I took a bite.
The cookie was horrible. Gritty. Dry.
I was so disappointed.
The drive home took about 40 minutes – and I thought about the box of Toffee-Tastic cookies the whole way home. I kept reaching for the cookie box in my purse on the passenger seat, but I resolved to wait, deciding to treat myself when I wasn’t distracted by driving.
The next day, I spent the morning working on my computer and talking to clients and then picked my sons up from school at 12:40. They get out of school early on Wednesdays so we had lunch together and then my older son went back to his room to finish his algebra homework and my younger son went to his room to practice the clarinet. I made a cup of tea and settled on the couch in the family room with three Toffee-Tastic cookies. A moment to relax. A sweet treat. A reward for working hard all morning. I took a bite.
The cookie was horrible. Gritty. Dry.
I was so disappointed.
“Someone said to me once, Happiness grows in direct proportion to your acceptance, and in inverse proportion to your expectations.”
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
I had a hard time accepting that the cookies weren’t what I expected, and I experienced all sorts of emotions in addition to disappointment. I even felt angry. Expectations announce themselves with words like “should” and “supposed to.” I told myself I should have gotten the treat I’d been waiting for.
Coaching Tip: When you replace the should or supposed to with the word want, you can quickly find the desire behind the expectation, and uncover a bit more happiness in the process.
After all that waiting, I really, really wanted a cookie. I dug through the pantry and found a recipe for gluten-free oatmeal toffee cookies on the back of the bag of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oatmeal and made a very tasty treat for myself (and my family, too).
If the Girl Scout cookie season leaves you feeling a little left out, too, check out the recipe for the oatmeal toffee cookies in The Well-Crafted Moms Club Facebook group files (join here!) And, if you understandably don’t have time to bake, Trader Joe’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are delicious.
Hugs,
Kathleen
I’m a certified life coach and the author of the Amazon bestselling book The Well-Crafted Mom. I support moms who know they want their relationships to be different, their burdens to be lighter, their lives to be more like what they've imagined. I work with moms in groups and in one-on-one sessions so that they can navigate their way forward; I hold hope and clarity for moms even when they can’t see where to take the next step. In my coaching practice, I integrate crafts with coaching because I think we learn best when we're creative (even for moms who think they aren't) and when we can use all the power our brains have to offer: both the left and right sides of the brain, the logical and practical mixed in with the emotional and spiritual. By creating a talisman, you allow the connections between the body, heart, and soul to come together in new ways. To talk with me about coaching + crafts and how we can work together, schedule a free consultation with me.
Coaching Tip: When you replace the should or supposed to with the word want, you can quickly find the desire behind the expectation, and uncover a bit more happiness in the process.
After all that waiting, I really, really wanted a cookie. I dug through the pantry and found a recipe for gluten-free oatmeal toffee cookies on the back of the bag of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oatmeal and made a very tasty treat for myself (and my family, too).
If the Girl Scout cookie season leaves you feeling a little left out, too, check out the recipe for the oatmeal toffee cookies in The Well-Crafted Moms Club Facebook group files (join here!) And, if you understandably don’t have time to bake, Trader Joe’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are delicious.
Hugs,
Kathleen
I’m a certified life coach and the author of the Amazon bestselling book The Well-Crafted Mom. I support moms who know they want their relationships to be different, their burdens to be lighter, their lives to be more like what they've imagined. I work with moms in groups and in one-on-one sessions so that they can navigate their way forward; I hold hope and clarity for moms even when they can’t see where to take the next step. In my coaching practice, I integrate crafts with coaching because I think we learn best when we're creative (even for moms who think they aren't) and when we can use all the power our brains have to offer: both the left and right sides of the brain, the logical and practical mixed in with the emotional and spiritual. By creating a talisman, you allow the connections between the body, heart, and soul to come together in new ways. To talk with me about coaching + crafts and how we can work together, schedule a free consultation with me.
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