Care Packages

My mom sent me a pegasus. And a unicorn. She is officially the coolest. 

Getting a package in college can transform a crappy day it into a good day; it can take an average day and turn it into an excellent day; it can turn a good day into the grandest hula-pa-wowza fiesta of days that you will think back to three days from then just to remember how great it was. I'm not sure what kind of day would birth from an already excellent day. My guess is that the universe would collapse in on itself, leaving only a giant gas-based mass of jubilation. You would also probably lose all feeling in your toes. Speculation, of course.

In my time at college, I've gotten a decent amount of care packages. Most come from my mom, but I've also gotten one from my aunt and sister. I'm not going to lie, my favorite part about getting a care package is the food. Sure, I am fully capable of buying my own food from the grocery store. Food just tends to be less special when you have to go out and buy it yourself. Food from a package, however, is like a magical apparition of everything you were just craving, without knowing you were craving it. You don't feel bad about eating everything that day because hey, it's not like you bought that food to eat for later. It's yours for right now. Or whenever you want. All yours, and nobody else's. Mwa haha.

Getting a care package grants you instant bragging rights. You can walk through the common room with your neat little box and everyone's curious and openly hoping it's something you're going to share. Odds are you will share some, but it's still yours. You have someone elsewhere who is sending you things and not sending your friends things and that makes you better than them for the moment. You have the power now, and if those vultures want your precious, delicious food (because we all know it's mostly candy), they're going to have to accept that. Cue the additional mwa ha has.

I have sent a few care packages in my day, mostly to my sister, and it's pretty exciting. You can add cute little notes and colorful fillers and decorate it however you want. Then you wait for a while and forget you sent it before you finally get an excited phone call or text a few days later. The phone call is always the best because it's usually right after they've opened the package and so they're at their happiest.

Anyway, I guess this post doesn't really have a point. I just get really excited by care packages.

If you know someone who lives really far away or who you haven't seen in a while, why not send them a package? It'll make their day and when they let you know they got it you'll be able to reconnect.

Some package tips from the gfish:

-Add a note. Food is wonderful and all, but a note makes it a bit more personal.
-Food can be personal too. Find out what makes their mouth water and just shove as much of it as physically possible into that box. Like seriously. As much as you can without pulling your back out.
-Guilty pleasure foods are nice. Food they'd feel bad buying at the grocery store because it's unhealthy or unnecessary for their daily diet.
-I usually add a poem or drawing.
-Inside jokes. I don't know you. I don't know your jokes. But I'm sure someone does.
-Filler candy for munching on while looking at the other things.
-Anything nostalgia-based.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to send a heartfelt package. The excitement of getting that notification that you have something is often enough all on it's own. Just don't go around sending empty packages... because that's not what I meant. People could get upset. Now stop twisting my words, damnit!