It's Not About The Cookies

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama

It was a casual Sunday afternoon, staying home, grilling and doing odds and ends around the house I can’t get to during the week. Sometime around 2pm, while working upstairs, I heard the doorbell. I heard Lori answer it with a nice greeting, then I heard her ask “How much do I owe you?” I then heard her repeat, “Twelve dollars, okay, give me just a minute.”

They were the Girl Scout Cookies she had ordered and they just came in. Ten years ago I’d ask if they were the Do-Si-Do’s that I loved or the Thin Mints I’d like to eat after refrigerated. But these days, I don’t have much a sweet tooth and have some discipline around cookies and ice cream, where I confess I have weakness in other areas.

I didn’t think much more about this transaction until the next day, Monday at work.

I heard the voice of a gentleman who works for us outside my office door in some conversation. I took from the pieces I heard he was giving away some cookies. My door being opened, he walked in with a box and offered me some girl scout cookies. Not a cookie, boxes of cookies, as he was carrying some boxes around in a fairly large cardboard case.

Bobby told me that he had his Girl Scout Cookies delivered yesterday and he bought more than he would eat. I asked him how many he bought and he sheepishly smiled and told me $150 worth. Bobby doesn’t have six kids in the house, he’s single, so I asked him why he bought so many, somewhat knowingly I knew the answer.

“She was so cute” he said. “As I looked at her sheet she only had orders for one from other folks and I kinda of felt bad for her, so I wanted to help her out. “

I thought back about our order for $12 and felt a little guilty. I asked Bobby a few questions more about this. The little girl was about seven years old and she was with her little sister as their father paraded them through his neighborhood. The rest of the story I knew.

If you know Bobby, you know he is one of the most compassionate guys you’ll meet. He will sacrifice personal pleasure to make someone else happy (but that is what makes him happy.) It wasn’t about the cookies, it was about pleasing that girl and her feeling special. The $150 meant nothing. The ability to help someone and make them feel special meant everything. That is his “WHY”.

This is one dot in that girls life that one day I hope it helped create a bright and happy future. I hope she was able to ‘wow’ her troop with the order and feel a sense of accomplishment that elevates her in life and provides a confidence she can draw on forever.

It’s not about the cookies, it’s about young girls growing, developing self-esteem and confidence. It’s about you and me, and people like Bobby letting the compassion come out of ourselves, to see how we can impact others, and let the goodness in us out. It’s seeing beyond the obvious and transcending the moment.

We all are given opportunities to do something special like I believe Bobby did. The words we use, the few seconds we wait to hold the door for someone, the compliment we give, all have an effect. Our actions cascade through eternity.