John, my husband, still rushes to the mailbox every day, nearly grabbing the snail mail from the letter deliverer’s hands. John tells me that there might be a letter proclaiming him “Emperor of the World.” So far, no such proclamation has arrived. But still, I think most of us experience a flutter of excitement when a real letter or a package arrives for us.

Every few months, I try to choose a handful of greeting cards and send them to a family member or a friend with whom I’ve fallen out of touch. And I love putting together occasional “care packages.” When I contemplate sending a card or package, the individual tasks involved seem onerous. But I really do enjoy shopping for greeting cards or the contents of a package. (It’s much more fun than clothes shopping!) And I like fitting the card into an envelope, or items into a box and taping it shut as I imagine the pleasure of the recipient.

I remember looking forward to packages at summer camp. My mom always came through with at least one a week. So last week I sent a care package to Joe, a colleague who is staff director of Camp Amazing Grace, which is in its third year serving children who have an incarcerated parent. It’s a challenge to find just the right balance of small toys, magazines, useful items and edible treats and keep within a care package budget. Among other things, Joe got a “improve your brain” puzzle book, some water balloons, Charlie Brown stickers, Life savers, pretzels, M&Ms and gummy bears.

I could hear the joyful smile in his voice in the phone message I got the day Joe received the package. It made waiting in line at the post office worth it.

You can always order pre-made care packages from the Internet. I think the recipients would be just as happy with one of those. There are sites that specialize in packages for soldiers, college students, and everyday occasions.

Next week, my daughter Alice is who working for Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth in Palo Alto will get a package. I wonder what I’ll find to put inside?

Rosemary, a friend from my past, was asked in an interview what sorts of things she does to take care of herself. One of the things Rosemary listed was, "I buy myself flowers once a week."  From the profusion of flowers I see available in the produce departments of grocery stores, I'm guessing Rosemary is not alone.  A recent study by Nancy Etcoff, PhD from Harvard University,  explored the relationship between flowers and mood. Fifty-four women were quizzed about their moods, then sent either flowers or candle arrangements. After a week, the women who got candles were quizzed again on their moods and reported a mix of positive and negative emotions. But those who received flowers said that they felt more compassionate and felt fewer negative emotions.  Of course this is not a large enough study to justify any scientific conclusions.  But seeing even a single stem of fresh flowers in my kitchen in the morning makes me smile and lifts my spirits.

In the summer, my own yard (I can't justify calling it a garden!) sometimes provides the blooms for free. Other times, I only need to spend five dollars at the farmer's market or grocery store to have a stem of lilies or Gerbera daisies that can last a whole week. But like Rosemary, I have decided not to wait for friends or family to buy me flowers.

Early this summer, we had a flood in our basement. Ours is not a typical basement. It is where our first alternative school met a couple of days a week. So the basement holds a piano, two computers, a sofa and chairs, files and desks, and over 3,000 books. The flood soaked the wall-to-wall carpeting, which had to be replaced. Did I mention my clothes closet is also in the basement? There is a long story about how that came to be, but when the new carpet was installed, the folding doors to my closet no longer fit. So my clothes are on display to whoever passes by. Until I get the doors replaced, my neighbor suggested that I arrange my clothing in ROYGBIV, or rainbow order. (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) I did and I discovered that most of my clothes are brown or black! Still, the rainbow thing works great. It took under an hour to pull out all my clothes and rearrange them in the closet. It provided an opportunity for me to get rid of some stuff I never wear. It’s an easy system to maintain. And I discovered that when my clothes are organized, I have an easier time deciding what to wear in the morning.