When you bake someone cookies, it's about way more than cookies

Yesterday I had a really bad day. I won't discuss specifics, but you know, one of those days when any one little glitch would not have amounted to much, but too many little glitches bombard you all at once, and then the proverbial "final straw" pushes you right over the edge. That's what happened yesterday.

And believe me, my little troubles amount to nothing, less than nothing, when compared to the writhing sorrow that has come to others in the world this past week, particularly in Florida. When I think of the grieving parents who lost their precious child to an alligator attack, my heart breaks. It breaks again when I consider the family and loved ones of those gunned down in a nightclub, victims of hate, and a gunman who had way too easy access to deadly weapons.

My heart breaks for all of them. Nothing could have predicted or prevented the random alligator attack, but plenty could be done to reduce if not prevent the type of massive gun violence that occurred at that nightclub. May we sit silent no longer. May we rise up and do something to effect change. As my favorite Stephen Colbert quoted this week: Love is a verb.

The problems in my little, self-centered universe don't begin to compare, and yet, they are mine. So tiny though they are, they matter to those whom I call my friends, to those who care about me. One such person demonstrated that care yesterday. On a day when everything in my world felt broken, I had plans to see this one friend twice, once first thing in the morning, and again for lunch. I couldn't hide my emotions at our first meeting. I apologized for sucking so badly, but she didn't judge, neither in her eyes nor in her voice. She simply reminded me that everyone has bad days.

Then she went home and baked me cookies. Really, she did. Not even the easy break-and-bake kind (which are the only kind I know how to make), but genuine, bona fide, homemade cookies. I think she had to blend up oats or something to make the flour. Like who does that? She does! They are positively delicious, but that's beside the point.

When you bake someone cookies, it's about way more than cookies. It's about taking the time to show you care. Love is a verb. I sometimes complain that I have no friends here in the Salt Lake valley. Truth, this has been a super challenging relocation for me, and after five years, I still wonder if I'll ever be happy living here. But it is not true that I have no friends.

This friend saw my struggle and responded. She went home with two little kids in tow and baked me cookies. My day was still pretty crappy, but it was one delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie less crappy because of the selfless kindness of this friend.

Thank you. It meant a lot.