The Cookie

Imagine you’ve been traveling for five hours, first sitting in an airport… then on a plane… and finally in a cab. You reach your hotel about the time you normally have dinner. You’re tired, a little stressed by the travel and nervous about a presentation you’re doing the next day.

Then you check in – and you are offered a warm chocolate chip cookie, courtesy of the hotel.

Do you accept the cookie?

The question seemed like a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t I accept it? But for me, that’s wasn’t the real question.

My dilemma was, eat it before or after dinner?

On the one hand, the cookie was very tempting. I was hungry, and it smelled great. Plus, what’s the point of getting a warm cookie if you’re not going to eat it until it’s cold?

On the other hand, I definitely wanted something substantial for dinner, not just sugar. Would eating the cookie throw off my appetite, leave me not quite hungry but also a little queasy?

Then I reminded myself that this didn’t have to be a black and white situation. I didn’t, after all, need to eat all of the cookie at once.

I opted to have half of it before dinner. It was delicious, ooey and gooey with melted chocolate bits.

It made the hotel room feel, for a few minutes, more home-like.

Then I left the other half and headed to dinner. I had some yummy split pea soup and a side of roasted veggies. But I opted against dessert, since I still had the other half of the cookie and some fruit in my room.

I did finish the cookie, and it was still good – but not as good as when it was warm. I’m glad I decided not to wait to have at least a taste of it.

In the end, it was the perfect balance. I got my cookie, but I also felt satisfied by the rest of my meal. And I went to bed with sweet dreams.