DR. WALLACE: I love chocolate chip cookies, and I was happy to learn that there is a National Chocolate Chip Day for people like me to celebrate!

I'll kick off my celebration this May 15 by using my grandmother's recipe to create delicious cookies I can share with my family and friends.

It seems like all of my friends have mothers who have their own different recipes and need only a gentle nudge to get them to dust them off and start baking!

I know that this might sound like a crazy thing to celebrate, but I'll admit to being hyped up about it! I've found that many moms still enjoy baking and eating chocolate chip cookies whenever they have the time to do so. — Cookie Baker, via email

COOKIE BAKER: I did a little research and was surprised to learn that during World War II, chocolate chip cookies were very popular with soldiers. Many care packages included these delicious morsels that provided a taste of home in a faraway land.

The first chocolate chip cookie was actually made by accident in Whitman, Massachusetts, in an inn called the Toll House. In 1938, Ruth Graves Wakefield one day planned on making regular chocolate cookies but got the great idea of throwing in chunks of a chocolate bar. Much to her surprise, the chocolate did not mix well with the cookie, and instead, it filled up with tasty chunks of chocolate. That turned out to be a fortunate occurrence for millions of people around the world in the decades to follow.

And in 2021, I'm happy to report that my own wife makes delicious chocolate chip cookies, too! I readily admit that I am much better at helping her eat them than I am at helping her make them!

MOVING ON IS TOUGH

DR. WALLACE: I was in love for over two years with a guy who is, unfortunately, now my ex-boyfriend. We broke up 14 months ago, but in some ways, I don't feel like I'm over him yet. Every day I wake up hoping to feel completely better, but I still feel a bit of the sense of loss I felt over a year ago when we first parted. How long does it usually take to get over a breakup? Am I weak for not getting over him already? — Still Thinking of the Past, via email

STILL THINKING OF THE PAST: The pain of breaking up with someone you love can be intense, and it will take every individual a unique amount of time to move on. I would say that you are neither weak nor unusual in this regard.

The more emotionally attached you are to someone, the longer it usually takes to bounce back. Unfortunately, there is no real cure or timeline to move on, but I can say that many readers over the years have written to me regarding this topic, and the main cure they described was getting busy socially again. The more you have others to socialize with, the less likely you are to rehash your past.

A year-plus is long enough for you to resolve your feelings and should put you now in position to move on to new opportunities to meet new people. You don't have to forget your past, but I encourage you to learn from it, enjoy the memories and seek a new path forward toward the happiness you deserve.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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