A woman who was out walking with her friend has described what happened when they were approached by a man with an unusual request.
Chandler Barbee was out around the Mid-City area of New Orleans with her friend and their dog, admiring the neighborhood's Halloween decorations, when a man they didn't know came up to them.
To some, that might sound like an unsettling scenario but, as the man began to speak, Barbee and her friend realized his intentions were good.
"He asked us if we'd mind coming over to his daughter's cookie stand," Barbee told Newsweek. "He said she hadn't had any customers yet that day and it would make her day."
Barbee said that they tried to explain to the man that they didn't have much cash but he told them "it's free" and they could "throw it away after," he just wanted them to "grab one" if they didn't mind.
"Honestly, the dad seemed very sincere and that's why we followed him," Barbee said. "I know that goes against every instinct people say but you could tell he just really cared about his daughter."
To Barbee's way of thinking, it was clear that the dad was trying to nurture his daughter's interest in baking and that is to be commended.
In an interview with Love Food, psychologist Dr. Linda Papadopoulos stressed the value in taking up hobbies like baking.
"Baking is a unique activity that has potential to combine both creative expression and social connection," she said.
"The act of baking can have an almost meditative effect, allowing people to lose themselves in a creative activity that can positively impact our sense of well-being and connection with those around us."
Had the man's daughter failed to hand out a single one of the cookies she worked hard on, then there's every chance she might have ended up disheartened and chosen not to bake again. That didn't happen.
As Barbee and her friend followed the man up the street a "cute cookie stand" came into view with Halloween themed cookies lined up. The man was heard saying, "honey you got some customers," before a little girl, around the age of six, dressed up as Moana, emerged.
Barbee said the stand featured an adorable sign that read: "Halloween Cookies... mmmmm so good... and they're free."
"She was shy at first," Barbee said. "Her two older brothers were standing behind her and came over when we walked over and the mom was on the porch. So it was just a family day outside."
Barbee said they spent several minutes looking at all of the cookies while making sure to let out a few audible "wows" before picking out a favorite each. "We complimented how beautiful her cookies were," she said. "It was cute."
Once they had their cookies, Barbee can recall hearing the girl's mom tell her "look you did it," with the avid baker left smiling from ear to ear as they left.
It was the sweetest of developments—pun intended. "The cookies paired perfectly with our iced coffees," Barbee said. She later shared a video to TikTok explaining how their "hot girl walk" had evolved into something truly heartwarming.
The story had people getting emotional in the comments section. "Crying, this is so sweet," one user wrote. "Those cookies are literally so adorable, and I bet they tasted like heaven with all the love she put into making them," another said. A third added: "I'm not crying, you're crying."
At the time of writing, the video has been watched 1.5 million times, with Barbee full of praise for "how good of a dad" the man was and why it's important to enjoy "the little things."
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