05/29/2026
Cookies and Cookies and Cookies
by
Jose Quevedo
As I roll up the door to begin the day,
the sunlight and cool Santa Cruz breeze begin to creep in,
and the sweet smell of cookies flows outward
toward the early customers
waiting for their treat.
Throughout the day I hear stories.
Stories of moments shared around these sweet treats.
Of people following their nose until they found this door.
Of the nostalgia of picking their own cookies in the past,
back when it was honor system.
The promises that they definitely paid.
The chuckles of those who did not.
Of people bringing cookies to birthdays,
book clubs,
and boring meetings.
Of people bringing cookies to loved ones,
friends,
neighbors,
and the gals at the bank.
Of the generational tradition
of parents bringing their wet kids after swim class
for their sweet treat.
Of people sharing the favorite cookie
of someone they still miss.
Of people who just need a little pick-me-up
after a hard day.
Of people leaving swearing
they bought too many cookies,
only to return later laughing
that somehow
they still did not have enough.
Because some days
people are not really coming for cookies.
They are coming for warmth,
for familiarity,
for comfort they can hold in their hands
for just a little while.
One of life’s new favorite moments for me
is warming myself beside a towering rack
of freshly baked cookies as they cool,
waiting to be given out individually,
each one still carrying a little warmth,
even after it has cooled.
But most of the time,
they all seem like kids waiting,
wanting their sweet treat.
There’s always wonder in the room.
Adults studying the trays of cookies
with childlike excitement,
their faces lighting up
at the abundance neatly organized on racks,
their faces full of childlike disappointment
when the racks become bare
toward the end of the day.
And somehow,
after all these hours,
all these smells,
all these cookies,
I am still not tired of them.
There are so many different types.
And maybe that is enough.
That tomorrow,
and tomorrow,
and tomorrow,
people will still gather here
looking for a little sweetness.
