I know that the title of this post says, "Today I noticed..." I did take notice of this today but I've also known it for quite a long time.
I cannot recall when I first started mail-order shopping or order-by-phone shopping. I know that my children were wee little folks when I really adopted that practice for their clothing at times. Oh, I still went into stores and picked up items for them and got our groceries and such. But, I did a bit of shopping where something had to be delivered and I really appreciated the convenience.
It also sort of reminded me of when I was a girl and we would get surprise packages from my great aunt Mae. Aunt Mae was my Granny's sister. She lived in Mobile, Alabama. As a kid, she may as well have lived overseas as far as I was concerned because I had no idea where Mobile was - just that it was far away from the farm where my family and I lived.
Every year at Christmas Aunt Mae would send us a pretty good sized box packed full of treasures. She would also send us a gift for our birthday. Sometimes we would just get a surprise out of the blue from her as well. I remember unwrapping a couple of yards of fabric, an embroidered piece that went under the lamp on my bedside table, a metal piggy bank, and all sorts of things packed in a box from her. She always wrapped everything in tissue and taped that together. Then, it might also be wrapped in gift wrapping paper of some kind and plenty of tape was used on it as well. Then, the different items were packed inside a larger box that was wrapped in brown craft paper. Each corner and edge of the box and the brown paper were taped with tough shipping tape. Half the fun of getting one of her shipments was cutting through all the tape to get to whatever was folded into the layers of tissue paper.
Aunt Mae even continued the tradition of sending Christmas shipments when my children came along. I remember that one year my son, Bryan, got a roll of pennies - wrapped in several layers of tissue paper and taped up firmly. Then, packed in with a couple of placemats for me, some brass candle holders, a couple of coloring books, some socks, a couple of shiny Christmas ornaments, a pair or two of socks for each of the children, a miniature tea set, and a Matchbox car. Each of those were rolled up in layers of tissue paper and tape and packed solidly inside a larger box that was covered in brown paper and about a half a roll of packaging tape.
Shipping probably cost more than the value of the contents of the package but it was the adventure of discovery as we opened each treasure and the anticipation of what might be hidden inside that made those shipments extra special. Now that I think about those treasure boxes that were delivered via parcel post, I think about all the time she probably took gathering the items, wrapping them in tissue and taping them securely, wrapping them again in gift wrapping paper and adding an elasticized bow or yarn bow on each item. I think about how she was thinking of each of us and what she could send that would fit us in our stage of life. For example, she knew that a roll of pennies was better to give a little tyke than a crisp dollar bill. She knew he would love all the coins and feel rich. She probably stretched her dollars to the max to put together each treasure box to her nieces and their families. She was thoughtful and generous and, as kids, we experienced wonder, anticipation, and excitement. What a wonderful gift to share.
When we were nesting at home during Covid. I really turned to online shopping and delivery. Every gift, every necessity, every need that could be ordered and delivered became a gift of sorts. We were told to stay home, if possible. So, we did. Groceries, gifts, everything became something that I shopped for online and had delivered. I grew to love the option to order and have things delivered and I've never looked back.
What made me really notice the convenience and goodness of it today is the fact that I needed a part for our vacuum. When I sat down to work on it, I thought I had everything I needed. However, I soon realized that I didn't have one of the parts I needed to replace. So, I went online and searched for the part. I clicked on the button and put the part in my cart. Then, I noticed that if I spent $12.95 more, I could have that part delivered later in the day. Wow! So, remembering that I had been getting a notice that the ink was low and would soon need replacing, I also added an ink cartridge for the printer. I clicked on another button and added my card number and now I wait for the delivery of my vacuum part and ink cartridge.
I know that these items will come in the manufacturer's package. They will probably also be in some sort of brown package - a sturdy bag or a box that is taped up tight. While this shipment might not be the same sort of treasure that I once got from Great Aunt Mae, I am anxiously looking forward to it arriving. I still appreciate the fact that somebody has taken the time to gather my items together and package them. I still appreciate that somebody will deliver the package right to my door. While I went about my daily routine of laundry, dish cleaning, and tidying up, someone is working behind the scene to make my life better and easier and that is what I appreciate most. Those are really good things.
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