I received a delightful package in the mail the other day. It was from a very sweet and special cousin. I opened the package to find it full of Willy Wonka Sensationals Candy. My cousin sent it in response to a blog I wrote about the Willy Wonka Candy. She enclosed a cute card with a message that encouraged me to share so that I wouldn't have to wriggle into my pantihose (a reference to another blog). I was touched by her generosity but I have to admit I was thrilled that she reads my blog. In my more self-centered and insecure moments I find myself envying bloggers who have 50 or more followers---okay sometimes I envy bloggers who have 10 followers but I appreciate my friends and family who take time to read my blog. I like to think I go for quality over quantity when it comes to number of followers. I am fully aware that people have more important things to do with their time--like tweezing unwanted facial hair--than read my blog and I do write mainly to hone my writing skills but it is nice to think that somewhere out there I have brought a smile to someone's face or given someone something to ponder--while tweezing unwanted facial hair. Anyway...I have tried to share the bounty of goodies but I have still ended up eating too many myself and have further distorted my girlish figure...but even that cannot dampen the delight that arrived with the package and resurfaces with each devoured piece of cherished confection.
Whenever I receive an unexpected package in the mail it feels like Christmas. (Let's drive any thoughts of the Uni bomber or Anthrax far away from the front of our minds for a few blissful moments) Most of the packages we receive are job-related items for my husband or books or aquarium stuff---things ordered online. Only on rare occasions do I receive a package addressed to me and when it is from a family member or a friend that package infuses my being with sweet anticipation and holds just as much promise of a special surprise as the biggest shiniest Christmas package holds for an eager child. (you're right, I could use a little more excitement in my life)
Actually, I have received very few surprise packages over the course of my lifetime thus far. (It makes me feel so eloquent to use the word thus.) Growing up, the family members I was closest to lived in the same state and most were frugal enough not to mail something they could deliver in person. Perhaps that is why a few special deliveries stand out in my mind...
On one of my childhood birthdays I received a surprise package from my Aunt Lillian. Let me give a bit of background information on my Aunt Lillian... She and my grandma were the only girls in a family of mostly boys. I heard several stories about how Aunt Lillian was the princess in her family and my grandma was more like Cinderella. I suspect neither my aunt nor my grandma would tell their story that way but that was how I heard it and my grandma did do her sister's laundry for a one dollar a day to support her family after my grandpa passed away. The two sisters did seem to be as different as night and day. My grandma was always frugal and practical. She rarely indulged in leisurely activities and her main satisfaction was derived from caring for her family. My Aunt Lil's husband had been a successful businessman and she always had a desire for the finer things in life, things of a tangible nature. She wasn't exactly among the Rich and Famous but she was well-to-do and as my mother would say, she had quite a 'highfalutin' attitude. Once in awhile Aunt Lil would treat her less advantaged relatives (my family) to an outing like dinner at a nice restaurant or ice-cream at Snelgroves followed by a visit to her home to watch Lawerence Welk on her new color television. I remember her being interested in health food so when we visited she would serve Papaya juice. I thought it was delicious and very exotic tasting--before I even knew what exotic meant. She also gave us little pastilles that tasted like what I imagined perfume would taste like. Whenever Aunt Lillian went to give a restaurant her patronage the employees became her personal staff. She was very demanding and inevitably there was something wrong with food. She could be quite intimidating but I thought of my encounters with my great aunt Lillian as being quite the exciting adventures. Back to the package---it was a big surprise because she had never before given me a gift for my birthday. It was an apron with narrow pockets for crayons and one of those plastic coloring mats that you can color and then erase. The crayons didn't color very well but the gift was unique, and it had arrived in the mail, and it was from Aunt Lillian.
Another surprise package that I still remember fondly and with greater clarity than my 'Aunt Lil package' was sent to me by my Aunt Elva who lived in New Jersey---the Mysterious East which was almost just as exciting as the Orient to my young fanciful mind. Aunt Elva was really my mom's cousin but my grandmother raised her when both of her parents were killed in an automobile accident. I only met her twice I think which added to her intriguing persona. My aunt Elva was an excellent seamstress so she had hand made the contents of package which increased their sentimental value tenfold. Apparently my mother had told aunt Elva how much I enjoyed playing with Barbie dolls. The expression on the face of a deep sea diving sunken treasure hunter upon opening a barnacled chest filled with gold doubloons could not have rivaled the look of pure joy on my face when I opened my package to discover layers of individually bagged barbie outfits. I think a couple of dolls were even included. One was a Tammy doll that was kind of like a girl-next-door version of the more cosmopolitan model-esque Barbie. Tammy and Barbie could share homemade Barbie clothes even though Tammy had a smaller bust, a thicker waist and bigger calves---in other words she was more realistic and less a poster girl for plastic surgery. Anyway---there were ball gowns of luxurious fabric complete with fur stoles, stylish pantsuits, play outfits complete with matching kerchiefs, (I am now speaking a foreign language to those not born in the 50's or 60's) and even pajamas. I cannot begin to tell you how much it meant to me to have such a fine wardrobe for my dolls. I was the envy of any friend or neighbor who came to play dolls. My imagination was fueled and my pretend play went to a whole new level. I kept putting those clothes back in the bags for years until I turned them over to my daughters. Incredible...
One more package of note was received a few years ago from my cousin's wife. She and I had had a phone conversation in which we discovered that we both loved the 1964 television special of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. She mentioned she has a collection of figurines from the show and I mentioned how great that would be. Not long after our phone conversation I was surprised and elated to receive a package in the mail containing collectible stuffed versions of the main characters from my favorite Christmas special. (She later reassured me that they were originally purchased for a small amount but they are priceless to me) I happily display them each year at Christmas---symbols of good childhood memories and thoughtful gestures.
Sometimes joy comes in the mail.
Random thought---I think a dictionary of phonetically spelled words would be helpful. I consider myself to be a capable speller but I do get frustrated when I am trying to look up the meaning of a word I don't know how to spell...
