The Bread + Butter Theory

Before you go off the deep end, this is not an entry about watching your carbs or fat intake. I will not today (nor any other day) instruct any woman what to put in her mouth, teach her how to count calories, or suggest how many bites of chocolate chip cookie skillet to have. But if you are looking for that advice: Eat as much of that cookie skillet as you can girl. Cookie skillet is the spice of life.

The bread + butter theory is a tribute to a best friend and phenomenal woman who came in my life roughly twelve years ago. She was generous, she was kind, and she was unlike any person I’ve ever met. She was also 5 years older than me and very wise when it came to the opposite sex.

I remember sharing dinner with her catching up on all the things us girls like to catch up on. I don’t remember who I was dating at that time (he was probably a tool) but I do remember my conversation with her very vividly.

There was a basket of bread in front of us with some room temperature butter to complement. She picked up a piece of the bread and explained her theory which I’m sure I won’t do justice years later but at least I’ll try:

Ladies, you are bread. You’re rich and delicious. It took a long time to get to where you are today, the person you are and what you represent. You come in all flavors and shapes and occasionally you grow furry green mold. (I’m only kidding about the mold.) You’re slightly rough on the exterior and at your core you are soft, warm, and completely amazing.

In every relationship we give a little bit of ourselves to someone - a little bit of our bread. In some relationships we throw down a few crumbs or a little tear of crust, but in other relationships we give much more. In my most recent relationship I pretty much dumped a bakery onto the guy. I had given all of my bread and sadly was left with a basket full of oily room temperature butter.

When we give too much of ourselves we often times lose who we are. When the love (or lust) ends we find ourselves assessing the damage, pulling the pieces back together and starting over. This is not to say that you shouldn’t share your loaf with anyone ever again. This is only to say to share wisely, and when you find yourself with crust and crumbs take some time to bake again before heading back out there.

Let the guys be your butter. They’ll be yummy, they’ll be sweet, and they will complement you in many ways. You’ll have many options to choose from, different packages, different flavors, and when you think there’s nothing left you’ll be pleasantly surprised when a new supply comes along.

A short lesson with a tasty twist. A tribute to a woman who was wise beyond her years and who understood the unique recipe in each and every one of us.