The Girl Scouts in Belmont Center didn’t mind the weather; they were wearing mittens. The Scout mother who shepherded them was wearing ear muffs. On this raw winter morning, they were running on entrepreneurial steam, excellent saleswomen, and business was good. They could have expanded to two folding tables but had limited themselves to one, which they appeared to be manning in shifts. On a nearby bench, a Girl Scout on break was laying out a game of solitaire.
Passers-by didn’t need to be convinced to stop, but the Girl Scouts had such faith in their product that they were calling pedestrians over. Customers were steady. The air was frigid, but the atmosphere was welcoming.
It would be hard to find a more reliable consultant than a Girl Scout on the topic of distinctions among varieties of Girl Scout cookies. Every question was answered with the same full-throated energy, even the ones that had been asked a dozen times already that morning.
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“My favorite flavor? I like Peanut Butter Patties,” a Scout behind the table said, “but my mother loves Lemonades.” She sounded a little dubious; loyal to a parent, less so to a brand. She pointed to the yellow box laid out next to Caramel Delites and Thin Mints. There were only a few boxes of Caramel Delites and Thin Mints left. There was a large stack of Lemonades.
“On the side of the box, it says they have artificial flavors,” she said. “And they do.”
“If you like lemon, you’ll love them,” said the mother, who was trying hard to stay warm and not interfere. Any mother understands this mission, and also this temptation.
Girl Scout cookies are Rorschach drawings for the buyer and for the seller. Our choices illuminate us: the older consumer with a supply of bland, mannerly Trefoils under one arm; the little kid who only wants Peanut Butter patties because mint makes her sick to her stomach. She can’t understand why everyone doesn’t feel that way. Opinions are set in concrete…and then, they change with age. It’s a beautiful evolution. Peanut Butter Patty becomes Thin Mint becomes Trefoil. Child becomes adult becomes elder.
The Girl Scouts are happy to give their personal cookie opinions. They don’t realize that these, too, will change with time. They will grow up and many of them will leave this small town. All things will change, including their favorite Girl Scout cookie. Peanut butter Do-Si-Dos will be discarded for Adventurefuls. A future life partner will get them hooked on Toast-Yays. They’ll wonder what they ever saw in Tagalongs.
But that is for the future. Now is a time for a folding table and sales. Also, it is a time for believing in themselves. Even the sidewalk is less icy on a frigid day from the heat of their confidence. Customers leave $6 poorer, maybe $12 or $18 (not that anyone wants to admit excess), but the winter is warmer afterwards.
Elissa Ely writes about seniors/baby boomers for The Belmont Voice. She is a community psychiatrist.
