anatomy of a craving

I wanted a cookie.

It was 10:00 on Tuesday night. I'd had dinner a few hours ago and I wasn't hungry, per se, just desiring of something sweet. I peered in my pantry. No cookies. Nothing even resembling dessert. I looked in the fridge: vegetables, goat cheese, tortillas, salmon, milk--nothing sweet. I opened the pantry again. I had oatmeal. Did I want oatmeal? No, not really. I had bread. Could I have toast? Nope. Not interested. I was about to put on shoes and head to 7-11 when it hit me:

I have peanut butter.

I remembered a recipe I'd made several months ago. They weren't cookies exactly, but they were close. Gooey balls of peanut butter, oats, honey, raisins, cinnamon and cocoa powder--a great cookie stand-in. I added coconut, sesame seeds and crushed almonds and made a small batch--just enough for a snack--and had them with a cup of chamomile tea.

It is very good feeling to satisfy a craving using your own resources. I suspect that principle extends beyond cookies.