REFUSE THOSE COOKIES!

In the office, a lot of free cookies get passed around.

At most offices, and mine is no exception, there is cake on birthdays. We have cake. And chips. And soda. AND cookies! I like cookies.

When I go to meetings, there is always a plate full of cookies up for grabs. And what else are you going to do while you are pretending to listen intently to all that jibber jabber on corporate overhead? You are going to eat a cookie. That's what else.

There are a lot of women on our floor. Whenever one of them is going on a new diet, they empty their desk drawers and cupboards and mini-fridges of all the chocolates, candies, sweets and cookies they've been hoarding and lay them out for everyone to share. I usually grab a cookie or two.

My desk is right next to the dining halls at work. One of the kitchen staff has taken a liking to me. The other day he brought me a plate full of fresh, whole fruit. I was very excited. I shared them with my co-workers, they were very excited. Then, ten minutes later, he brought me a bowl full of cookies. I tried to share them with my co-workers. They adamantly refused. What was a girl to do? I ate two. Okay, maybe it was three. Then I found a small child running around the office and gave him the rest. I mean, a boy of four has got to have energy to keep running full steam like that. He needed the sugar.

There is a conference room on our floor that none of us use, but many other departments book full all month long. They have catered meetings. When the meeting is finished, we all swoop in like vultures upon the leftovers. Usually, it's a few meat-laden sandwiches and a bunch of cookies. I eat the cookies. It's free! How could I refuse?

Summary: I like cookies. I can't say "No" to free cookies. I eat a lot of cookies at work.

So what should I do? Stop going in to work? Good Idea. Although I'd probably just start baking cookies at home. And not having a corporate body of people to bestow a gift of sweet treats upon, I'd just eat more cookies. Hm.

I think the answer here is "Just say NO." This is a lesson I learned as a child. And I'm not sure I applied it to all the right areas of life. I mean - Cookies! - they are a deadly habit. Shouldn't they warn you about these things when you are interviewing for a job? "We really like your resume, Ma'am, but I want to tell you, this office is Pro-Cookie. We eat a lot of cookies around here. Do you think you can handle that? Are you up to the challenge?"