I went out on a chilly Saturday morning for some stamps at one of those satellite post office locations inside a hardware store. It was right next to a busy grocery store and strip mall.
I came back to the house with postage stamps, plus two boxes of Girl Scout cookies. The two school-age girls were set up with a folding table, stacked with colorful boxes laid out in front of them, and a handmade posterboard proudly designed with colored pink and big bubbly letters hanging in front. The girls stood behind their table decorated with their colorful patch-filled sashes. I had to say yes when they asked me with eagerness, “Would you like to buy any cookies?”
It got me thinking. You know who I notice most working alongside those girls every cookie sale? The moms. The moms who help sell. And the moms, like me, who love to support the girls in green.
And you know who I see in those girls? Me. It’s like I am transported to 1988. And while I’m right there with them, I see my little self in a uniform. Happy. Carefree. A little consciousness, determined, and focused on the prize.
And so I bought some cookies from the girls. I spoke with them for a few minutes and learned about their big sales goals and their dream reward of going to an amusement park as a reward. I exchanged the money for the cookies and told them I hoped they meet their goals.
The cookies won’t last long in my house, though. When they run out, I’d like to buy some different flavors from some other girls in the neighborhood. And when I do, I will be super proud of their hard work to meet their goals.
I’m sure I’ll be reminded of little me all over again. And I’m proud of my 9-year-old self too, along with my big ambitions.
So, next time you see the girls, go ahead, and say hi to them. Say yes to the cookies. Support them. Talk to them. Maybe in doing so, you’ll see your little childhood self with your big smile and ambitions also.
Then, you’ll be reminded that you can still have that same big smile and ambitions for your future. And go ahead, have a cookie too.
by Brittany Reiling 
by Jennifer Kennedy 
by Leslie Means 
