Purple Cookies and Parental Advice...

Parental Advice. 

We've all received it. 

Some of us have listened to it.

Some of us haven't. 

I usually listen when my parents give advice. They are kind of brilliant and I've learned that when I haven't listened to their advice...in the end, they were usually right, so I should have just listened to them in the beginning.

Here's some quick advice Mama Y and Papa C have instilled in me over the years:

•  Never play leap frog with a unicorn.
• Never eat yellow snow.
• Eat your dessert first. Or sometimes, just eat dessert for dinner.
• It's always good to be in the catbird seat. (I still don't really understand what that one means...)
• Run in a zig zag motion when running away from a crocodile.

But perhaps the most UNIQUE advice I've yet to receive comes in the analogy of...

a PURPLE COOKIE.

Looks delicious, right? You know you want it. mmmm...yummy.

The story of the PURPLE COOKIE begins several, several months ago when my mother and I were having a discussion about the complexities of dating.

Mama Y: "Let me ask you a question."

Me: "Yes?!?!?!"

Mama Y: "What is one of your favorite desserts?"

Me: "Duh. A chocolate chip cookie."

Mama Y: "Ok. I want you to imagine the BEST choco chip cookie you've ever tasted. Got it?"

Me: "Yeah."

Mama Y: "Ok. Now, imagine your FAVORITE chocolate chip cookie was sitting on the counter in front of you.  The only catch is...it's a purple chocolate chip cookie. So you don't know that it's the BEST you've ever had.  Do you pick it up and try it? Or do you leave it on the table?"

Me: "No. I leave it on the table. It's a purple cookie. That's weird. Who trusts a purple cookie?"

Mama Y: "Exactly. I think you understand what I'm saying."

Me: {pausing for a moment to ponder on the analogy...} "OOOOOh. I get it. So, you're saying there are a lot of guys out there that I should be interested in or give a chance, right? Cause on the outside they may not look or seem like the kind of guy I'd be interested in, but on the inside they are exactly what I'm looking for, right?"

Mama Y: {awkward pause.} "No. I'm telling you not to be a purple cookie. You need to always present your best self so people don't pass you by and mistake you for a purple cookie."

Hmmm....not AT ALL where I saw this conversation leading.

I'm pretty sure my immediate response was, "I have to hang up the phone and go call my sister right now so we can discuss this."

Since this conversation, all I have to ask people is, "Do I look like a purple cookie?" If they say yes. I know I should probably go inside and change.