Food for thought.

The other day, there was a plate of freshly baked cookies on my in-laws counter just sitting there, untouched. They were big, chunky chocolate chip, chewy looking cookies that I just couldn’t resist. Now, I’d like to preface this with the fact that I’m more of a cake and pie kind of girl, cookies are at the bottom of my sweets totem pole, but that’s how good these looked. I had to have them. I placed three on a plate and warmed them to the perfect temperature- firm enough to dunk but soft enough to melt in your mouth. I poured myself a mug of cold milk, and gloated in the fact that I would be the first to indulge in these chocolaty delights.

I grabbed my first cookie. I dunked. I stuffed the whole thing in my mouth at once. And then- I realized.

Those were not gooey, chocolaty chips smattered about my delicious cookies, they were RAISINS.

I wanted to throw these deceivingly inedible morsels in the garbage. But these were not my cookies, nor was I eating them at my counter, leaving me to abide by the etiquette of eating at someone else’s house. I choked down the remaining two raisin infested cookies, which no longer deserved the sacred name of cookie. Baked raisin dough balls seemed a more appropriate title. Dehydrated grapes do not belong on anything besides an overheated, under watered vineyard fence.

Then I realized something impossible.

These weren’t that bad. They were actually kind of.. good.

I was surprised that my taste buds were no longer rejecting the shriveled little monsters. I took a few moments to appreciate that miracle. Eventually, I dug through the pantry until I found the holy grail of all things sweet- a bag of straight chocolate chips, and I helped myself to 3 handfuls a few.  

Now, it’s not that I don’t like the raisins themselves. I actually quite enjoy the little raisin filled boxes typically paired with a  juice box from my childhood. I just wasn’t expecting them, I was expecting chocolate chips. It was then that my brain created a slightly farfetched metaphor, but a metaphor none the less. I started to think of all the things I’m striving for right now, all of the things I think I want and need, or in food metaphor talk- the chocolate chips of life. But, I somehow keep getting raisins. It’s not that the raisins aren’t good, they just aren’t what I’m expecting, or what I think I want. It always takes a while, but then I realize that the raisins of life really aren’t that bad, if fact, they turn out to be really pretty good. And in reality, they are probably better for me. I just need to learn to appreciate the raisins, and once the chocolate chips come, they are that much sweeter.      

I’ve been trying to be grateful for all of those raisins in my life, and it’s really not as hard as I thought. I still pray for chocolate chips to come pouring into my life (both literally and metaphorically speaking) but now, by having and appreciating the raisins first, they are that much better. Hopefully my food metaphors will also get better, but until then- i'll start enjoying those raisins.