A woman who was ill enough to be in bed for the weekend had a hankering for cookies. Not just any cookies. Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Her husband had gone to the grocery store that morning but she hadn't mentioned her craving, so he came home with milk and trash bags. Later in the day her mother in law stopped by, having run to the market, and dropped off dinner. But my friend had not expressed any special requests to her either. Her mouth could almost taste the chewy, gooey sweetness. 

She already felt like a schmuck for not being well enough to care for her children, so asking point blank seemed unreasonable. Still.

Then a friend who recently lost a family member texted her.

"I just made some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Want some?"

She almost yelled back, but used exclamation points instead. 

"YES!!!! I DO!!!"

The friend/baker came over with a plateful, and sat on the edge of the bed. She leaked a little more of the sadness that inevitably builds up when someone you love dies, while they bit into warm cookies. The woman who had felt like a slacker was able to listen fully, without her usual distractions. Here was a way she could serve after all.

"I have never made chocolate chip oatmeal before," her friend said as she was leaving. "The recipe called for it, so I tossed it in. Glad you liked them." They hugged, and the door slid shut. 

I wonder about the Influence that led a woman in grief to choose that particular dessert to try, and what Nudged her to offer them to a friend.

But I may be more responsive when I get a feeling to show up with soup.