She saw me holding the pie with a look of uncertainty. “Do you need some help?” she asked. “How much is it?” I replied, aware that gluten-free pies (or anything gluten free) can be super expensive. She showed me the bottom of the box – $23.95. “Dang”, I said. “It’s just for me. My kids won’t eat it. It’s expensive for just me.”

“it’s really good though,” she said. Her eyes steady on me. “It’s worth it.”

I wondered why she was so sure – why she stood there with me in the middle of the store for way too long contemplating this pie. Why she – someone who was not even working on commission- was so encouraging of my purchase.

“Look at the ingredients,” she pointed at the label.”It’s good for you. Worth it. Just for you.” She said this completely straight-faced in her lovely latin accent. And in those words I heard – You’re worth it.

You are worth the pleasure this pie will bring.
You are worth an entire pie, just for you.
An expensive pie. A delicious pie.
A pie that no one else in the house likes.
A pie that is good for you.

I strolled the frozen aisle then and found what looked like an old school container of Kool Whip – but it was coconut cream people!

Of course, I got the pie.

And it was glorious. Especially with that coconut whipped cream. I had it for dinner that night + breakfast the next morning. It lasted me almost a week and every slice was amazing.

And I suppose I am sharing this story because it’s interesting how we need permission sometimes to go off-script. To buy an entire holiday pie for ourselves. I needed that woman to tell me it was okay. That the pie was good for me. Ha! I needed a stranger in a store to look me in the eyes and say, “Go ahead, you’re worth it.”