Roll With It
Chad and I recently spent a moving and intense weekend on a spiritual retreat. It was a time of discovery and growth, and one of the lessons we learned I want to share: Don't put me and Chad in charge of your breakfast pastry needs.
Chad and I have a lot of talents and skills, but picking up caramel rolls from Tobie's in Hinckley isn't one of them. While this is a relatively simple mission, it amplified many of our weaknesses: our ineffective mode of couple communication, Chad's lack of understanding of the importance others place on food, my irrational irritation at receiving food recommendations for northern Minnesota, my penchant for mixing up the names of things, and my fear of excessive morning calories.
So a simple and very reasonable request to pick up Tobie's caramel rolls for the two middle school girls on our retreat started with Chad picking up caramel rolls from Lund's the night before we left for the retreat. Chad actually spent a great deal of effort on this errand and it was very sweet of him (pun intended). But clearly Lund's caramel rolls were no substitute for Tobie's caramel rolls (and oh Lord, now I had MORE calorie-laden caramel rolls on my hands).
Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Tobie's rolls, or any rolls, donuts, muffins, cronuts, or whatnot. My mother even loved breakfast pastries (actually, the cheaper the better) so I always get a warm fuzzy feeling when I think of them. But they also fill me with anxiety because I don't want to deal with the pressure of making "healthy" choices for the rest of the day. I only say "no" to copious amounts of sugar in the morning because I know I'm likely to end my day enjoying a post-supper bottle of wine and a bag of chips.
The last time I went to Hinckley, it felt like everyone was telling me I had to stop at Tobie's for caramel rolls. In reality, probably only two people did, but I was feeling a little perplexed and even persecuted. As my friend Wanda put it, "Do they even know you at all?" (I have a similar reaction to recommendations for Gordy's. I'm sure it's a fine establishment but 1: I'm a vegetarian so no burgers and 2: I prefer to drink my calories in alcohol, not milkshakes).
Long rant short, I eventually found myself at the counter at Tobie's, trying to remember if I was supposed to buy caramel rolls or cinnamon rolls. I thought it was caramel rolls, but the cinnamon rolls looked soo good...all that gooey, awesome frosting...surely the girls wanted cinnamon rolls, right? Luckily, I was saved from making a tragic error by another chaperone who didn't loose her mind when confronted by a sea of morning confections.
So if your next social event requires broccoli, chips, or cheap--but serviceable--wine, call Chamy. But leave the rolls to the experts.
Chad and I have a lot of talents and skills, but picking up caramel rolls from Tobie's in Hinckley isn't one of them. While this is a relatively simple mission, it amplified many of our weaknesses: our ineffective mode of couple communication, Chad's lack of understanding of the importance others place on food, my irrational irritation at receiving food recommendations for northern Minnesota, my penchant for mixing up the names of things, and my fear of excessive morning calories.
 |
| These rolls make me nervous |
Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Tobie's rolls, or any rolls, donuts, muffins, cronuts, or whatnot. My mother even loved breakfast pastries (actually, the cheaper the better) so I always get a warm fuzzy feeling when I think of them. But they also fill me with anxiety because I don't want to deal with the pressure of making "healthy" choices for the rest of the day. I only say "no" to copious amounts of sugar in the morning because I know I'm likely to end my day enjoying a post-supper bottle of wine and a bag of chips.
 |
| These rolls don't |
Long rant short, I eventually found myself at the counter at Tobie's, trying to remember if I was supposed to buy caramel rolls or cinnamon rolls. I thought it was caramel rolls, but the cinnamon rolls looked soo good...all that gooey, awesome frosting...surely the girls wanted cinnamon rolls, right? Luckily, I was saved from making a tragic error by another chaperone who didn't loose her mind when confronted by a sea of morning confections.
So if your next social event requires broccoli, chips, or cheap--but serviceable--wine, call Chamy. But leave the rolls to the experts.
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