We Know You Want to Feel Good

I really didn’t expect this.

It’s not supposed to happen this way.  You are supposed to go from one phase to another, graciously and with dignity.  Or so it has always seemed to me.  Nobody told me it was possible to enter another phase while still in the previous phase, going back and forth, not like a metronome, which at least would have some sense of regularity to it, but like a crazed fruit fly stuck between the window and the curtain, able to see but not attain merciful freedom.

It’s worse than I thought it would be.  I got up this morning.  I usually get up, being ashamed to stay in bed when most sane folks are up working and energetically plowing through life; although some mornings lethargy out-maneuvers shame with some sly excuse, keeping the pillow to my ear just a little longer than necessary.  Be that as it may, I got up and wandered around the house a bit, trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing.  I noticed that my daughter was also up, which gave my sense of responsibility a little kick in the pants and prompted me to get both of us moving.

So while she started on her school work (being a home schooled child of long standing) I again tried to come up with some productive plans.  And this is the frustration I am addressing:  I am experiencing some of the symptoms of the so-called “change of life” but not the ones I was hoping to be experiencing right about now!  Yes, folks, you heard it here first.  It is possible to have all of the symptoms of menopause (except the cessation of the menses after which menopause was named) and still experience all of the joys of the monthly period.  All of the usual suspects line up like clockwork every 28 days, but now they bring along some other shady characters heretofore not invited to the party.

What I am talking about is weight gain around the mid-section, bouts of crying, weird physical symptoms, and, the granddaddy of them all, the losing of the mind.

It’s true.  Pieces of my mind disappear daily, taking up their little backpacks and venturing off into the unknown, never to return.  This morning I discovered that although there were many things I could be doing, something always stood in the way of my ability to actually do them.

For instance, I could have loaded the dishwasher if only it were not already full of dishes.  They were clean and dry, and there they sat, thwarting my efforts to maintain a clean kitchen.

I could have emptied the overflowing recycling bin, but alas, I was wearing no shoes so could therefore not go outside.  When I related this to my husband, he, being a wonderful problem-solver, suggested that I could have gone outside barefoot; to which I replied with chagrin that I indeed could not have done that, as I was wearing socks!

Fortunately for me, I suddenly realized the absolute ridiculousness of my plight and, instead of wallowing in self-pity, I began to laugh uproariously at myself.  Of course, the pieces of my mind came tumbling back, attracted as they were to the self-acceptance contained in my unexpected mirth.  My previously unproductive day abruptly turned on it’s heel and presented me with 3 or 4 easily do-able projects, which I completed without further ennui.  

I’m kind of glad they didn’t tell me this would happen, or I might have missed out on the incredible feeling of relief and freedom found in simply surrendering many of my unrealistic expectations for life at 50 and beyond.  I get to cut myself some slack.  I get to have a bad day and not beat myself up for it.  And I get to slow down and spend time in the moment.  

I really DIDN’T expect this!

Here it is, 12:24 in the morning and I am still up messing around with all of my various social media options.  I really consider myself more of a communicator than a computer person, but I suppose that since computers are here to stay that I really need to become more proficient in utilizing this amazing resource.

Back when I was in school, nobody had computers; we didn’t even have a typewriter. But we did have fairly decent handwriting. At least some of us did!  And even though I lived in such a stone-aged lack of technology, I never felt the least bit disadvantaged.  Imagine that.

So anyway, I don’t have any earth-shattering stuff to share, just some musings on the subject of friendship.  It really is true that to have a friend, you need to be a friend.  But the face of friendship seems to have morphed into something I am not quite sure I am prepared for.  I am not sure, for example, about Facebook “friends”. Most sane individuals would never call even their CLOSEST of friends to inform them of the status of, say, their bowel movements, but Facebook friends tell all using a creative array of descriptors: “I just plopped a big one and I am naming it the Unsinkable Molly Brown.”  Now, I ask you, who really needs to know this kind of detail about your daily life?  *Oh, yeah, I forgot; my Facebook friends!*  And the FUNNY thing is that somewhere in the vicinity of a thousand people, some of whom you barely know or have never even MET, will post a congratulatory note expressing amazement at your astonishing(?) feat!  I admit to congratulating my TWO-year old on his or her prowess in depositing bodily waste in the potty but I’m not really that impressed when GROWN-UPS manage it!

I will admit that there is a real element of friendship that exists in the social media, and I am not knocking it’s ability to keep us out of the seat of the uninformed on some very important matters.  Like when my friend’s child was missing for a brief but terrifying couple of hours and I didn’t want to call and tie up her phone it was nice to post a quick, “Hey, we are praying like crazy!” to her Facebook page. When, thankfully, the child was found and brought home, it was a wonderful way to get the word out that all was well.

And I know that my daughter has met some amazing people through Twitter.  It suits her; she owns a coffee shop (Downtown Grounds in Medford) and uses her snatches of time to keep in touch with the outside world.  My husband and I are starting to get into Twitter as a way to advertise our business, make connections in the community, and maybe enhance our own social life in the process.  So I am definitely not against social media!

But there is still in me a strong desire to sit face to face with a close friend or loved one, to hear the inflections in her voice, to see the joy or the pain or the disappointment reflected in his eyes, and to KNOW and experience that profound connection that happens when two souls discover that beautiful, ingenious, healing thing called Friendship.

So, wanna get a coffee with me sometime soon?  I know just the place to go…

We Deliver

We began as Brookie’s Cookies in the 1980’s. We wanted to teach our children how to earn money for toys or treats, so we baked cookies and then sold them door to door in offices, stores and work places. Eventually some stores wanted to carry the cookies so we certified our home kitchen with the Department of Agriculture in 1991.

Our bakery produces thousands of cookies each week and we have sold millions of cookies over the years. We produce giant, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin and Peanut Butter cookies along with Brownies each week. Each one of our five children has worked in our business in some way. In 1996 we added Baby Brookie’s Cookies to our product line, a smaller cookie for those that may be overwhelmed by our “regular” quarter pound, 5 inch diameter cookies!

We started working out of our home in Central Point, Oregon; in 1998 we finally moved out of our home into a commercial building, but our cookies are still made the same “Homemade Way” with no artificial foods or preservatives. In 2010 we eliminated trans fat and chose more natural ingredients.  We believe the freshness, the high quality ingredients and our secret recipe (make ‘em bigger and richer) contribute to the great taste. We all still love and eat our cookies after all these years, so we know they’re good!

Our advertising method is simple and highly effective. We give away cookies to some lucky person, sharing our story and telling them where the cookies can be purchased. Of course, we ask them to tell everyone that they are Brookie’s Cookies!

In 2007 we incorporated as Oregon Cookies, Inc. and began distributing throughout the Northwest. Currently, via our web page, we are reaching the entire US including our military anywhere overseas! With our expanded vision and corresponding growth, we enlarged our slogan from “Sweetening Southern Oregon One Cookie at a Time” to “Sweetening the Universe One Cookie at a Time” and are in the process of changing our name from Brookie’s Cookies to www.OregonCookies.com.  

We are grateful to the many people that have told our story and encouraged people to buy Brookie’s Cookies.

Thank you!

Tom and Susan Szczesniak
www.OregonCookies.com / Brookie’s Cookies

PS: Yes, we do have a daughter named Brooke!