Dr. Pepper on your Doorstep is Thoughtful

One day last summer, I came home to a 12-pack of Cherry Dr. Pepper just sitting on my front porch.  A very wonderful thing to come home to, for sure.

This is not the original 12-pack or my real front porch, since we are away from home this year.
Just a little pic I staged for the purposes of this post . . . :) 

I had to think for a second--did I put groceries on the front porch earlier and forget to take in the Dr. Pepper?--but I soon realized it was from our awesome next door neighbors, Keith and Leslie (Leslie just happens to work for Dr. Pepper at their headquarters in Plano, Texas--how cool is that?).  

To date, this is one of the simplest, most thoughtful neighborly gestures I can think of, and I smile every time it comes to mind.  I am pretty sure Keith and Leslie knew from our first meeting a year-and-a-half earlier that I was a huge fan of D. P. ("You work for Dr. Pepper!??  I looove Dr. Pepper!!"), but I don't know if they knew that one anonymous 12-pack drop-off could make my whole day.  But it sure did.  (Thank you, Vespers!  You are the best neighbors, and we miss you!)

Eight years ago when I was in the hospital after having Caroline, my sweet brother-in-law dropped by to say congratulations and hold his new niece.  He brought along a balloon . . . tied to a two-liter of Dr. Pepper.  It was perfect.  It made me laugh to see him walking in with a pink congratulations balloon--a more conspicuous and girly gift than he would normally choose, I am sure.   But then he went that extra step and tied it to a 2-liter.  I smile to think that he brought anything in the first place--he was a just a 20-year-old guy, after all.  I loved it.  (Thank you, Dan--you have been such a thoughtful brother[-in-law] since the very beginning!)

A few days after we went home with Caroline, my friend Carissa called on her way to class to check on me.  She was going to be driving by our area, and she wanted to know if I needed anything.  And, well, since the 2-liter had already gone dry . . . I needed Dr. Pepper.  That's all my postpartum self could think of.  I knew it was a little pathetic, but I asked anyway.  She laughed at me--and then stopped and got me some.  Another special delivery I will not forget!  (Thanks, Carissa, for coming through in my time of "need.")  :)

All of this makes me want to keep a running mental list of all the favorite things of the people I know so I can just randomly make drop-offs on days I am out and think to pick up something . . . such an easy way to put a smile on someone's face.  Or--in my case--feed an addiction!