Michael: Packages

Again the rain falls
As hard as an infant’s tears
Who’s lost his mother.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

When we were kids shortly after Thanksgiving we would receive a big package from our aunts in Minnesota filled with tins of all kinds of various home made cookies and treats. Opening that big cardboard box was almost as exciting as opening presents on Christmas day. It was also one of the few times a package was delivered to our house and it was the only time a package came that wasn’t specifically designated for one of our parents.

Like many experiences of childhood, as I became an adult the shine of having packages delivered has worn off a bit. For one, living in Los Angeles, I became spoiled and would become agitated if a package wasn’t delivered after a couple of days.

For another, unlike my aunts’ yearly tins of goodies, I was ordering much more frequently and all the packages now arrived with an invoice reminding me that I had become my own year round favorite relative. So the smile on my face that accompanies opening packages was being tainted a bit with the accompanying worry frowns knowing how often and how much I was dinging my budget.

Now, having moved to the boonies of Panama, receiving packages has somewhat combined the experiences of my childhood and adulthood. Because it’s more expensive and time consuming, we rarely have anything shipped here. This year we had my mom ship to us twice. And because it’s a become a rarity again, it’s also more exciting again.

However, that thrill is still tainted by my footing the bill. Last week I was so excited about having my mom ship a package to us that I temporarily reverted to my childhood enthusiasm and forgot to ask her about everything that was being shipped.

That was a very costly mistake. Kimme had ordered a hardback book and a few other items that could’ve waited to be picked up when one us travels to the states. When the package arrived here, we were contacted by the shipping service that an invoice was required before they could ship it from Panama City to here in Volcan. The agent we talked to at Air Box Express told us that usually happens when packages weigh over 10 lbs. If I had taken a deep breath and relaxed instead of prancing around like a little expectant kid, I could’ve saved us a lot in customs and duty fees.

Damned those early childhood thrills!