Greetings, old and new friends, and welcome to my website and blog! I’m so excited that you’ve decided to join me as I launch my book—Thin Mint Memories: Scouting for Empowerment through the Girl Scout Cookie Program.
It is significant that I begin this blog on October 31 because today is Girl Scout Founder’s Day. This holiday honors the birthday of the woman who started the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low. And since today is also my birthday, I thought it proper to use a photo of me with a Juliette Low impersonator (who knew that was a thing?) that was taken at the Girl Scout’s 2011 national centennial year kick-off convention. Now another milestone is quickly approaching—next year will mark 100 years of Girls Scouts selling cookies. What an ideal time to put a spotlight on girl power and Thin Mint Memories!
What are Thin Mint Memories? In a very literal sense, they are those moments when you open a fresh box of Girl Scout cookies and, after a tug of war with a cellophane sleeve, bite down on that first cookie. Yum!
If you are a Girl Scout or have ever been a Girl Scout, that definition expands to include all types of cookie-related experiences, including:
- Selling cookies. So many of us remember walking door-to-door for blocks until our feet hurt or standing in front of a grocery store for hours. Where did you sell the most cookies?
- Setting personal cookie sales goals and winning prizes. I once set my sights on a red and yellow plastic change holder that could be worn with my Junior Scout uniform. So cool! What prize comes to mind for you?
- Participating in amazing activities with your troop that were funded by cookie money. Some such troop activities that were shared with me included ice skating lessons, riding horses, camping, and spa weekends. How did your troop use its cookie proceeds?
- Learning about others while selling cookies. Looking back, it’s always interesting to discover what remained in your memories after cookie sales were over. What stayed with you about the people you met or choices you made while selling cookies?
If you were not a Girl Scout, perhaps the way to relate to Thin Mint Memories is more figurative. For most who shared memories with me to include my book, there was a universal theme of learning life lessons through the Girl Scout cookie program. While you may not have had the chance to sell Girl Scout cookies, I’m sure there were other touchstones and decisions made on your path that informed who you are today. Those formative times are much like what I call Thin Mint Memories.
Now that you know all about Thin Mint Memories, come along with me on my adventure of launching a book. I invite you to check out the book’s introduction and a bonus chapter, both posted here. Each week on this blog I’ll share my thoughts, mostly about the book but also—to mix things up—about my other writings. I promise to be forthcoming and share both the good and the bad. I have no idea what’s about to happen, but I’m ready to embrace the possibilities.
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