Feelin' the Excitement!

Any day now, our mailwoman will leave a box at our front door with my name on it. You see, my birthday is less than a week away.

My daughter, who lives in North Carolina, sends a gift every year – always a few days early!  She knows I have no willpower and I’m sure she does it to taunt me.

Her boxes are so much fun to open! She usually sends one special item, maybe something I've mentioned, and several smaller things. I never know what she’ll think of – lip gloss, nail polish, hair products, bath items, a book. Is it any wonder I can’t wait?

Until last year, I always opened the box as soon as I received it. How was I to know I was supposed to wait until my birthday? When a box comes to your door with your name on it, don’t you rush in and open it right then?  Me, too. I get so excited!

She scolded me every year. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to wait until your birthday?” she’d say. I’d smile and promise to do better next time.

But then, Mother’s day follows my birthday in only a few weeks and we went through the same thing again. Her package always arrived a few days early and I couldn’t resist. I opened it!

And so… last year, when my package came on Friday and my birthday wasn’t until Monday, I knew I’d have the whole weekend to fret over it if I didn’t just get it over with, as always.

But I didn’t!

I don’t know what came over me, but I decided I could do it. I'd put the package in a spare bedroom, out of sight, and forget about it until Monday. I’d prove to her and everyone else that I had willpower!

It wasn’t easy but somehow, I pulled it off. I will admit that, when nobody was looking, I sneaked into the bedroom a couple of times and picked up the box and shook it. When that revealed nothing, I closed my eyes real tight and tried using my psychic powers to see what was in the box, but nothing happened.

On the day of my birthday, she phoned. When I told her I’d waited until that very morning to open my gift, she didn’t believe me. Mr. H. had to verify it.

She said she was proud of me.

I’m glad, but I hope she doesn’t expect me to do it again this year ‘cause I’m already feelin’ the excitement of opening that box!