Why I Started This Little Mission
Last Tuesday, my sis randomly dropped off homemade soup ’cause I’d been sick for a week. Didn’t even text, just left it steaming hot on my doorstep. Felt bad I never return the favor. Googled “how to thank sister” around midnight while eating that soup. Found those 6 action ideas and thought – heck yeah, I can actually do this cheap and easy.
The 6 Surprises I Pulled Off
Action 1: Dug out her old Nintendo Switch gathering dust Thursday morning. Remembered she loved Mario Kart years ago. Set it up by her coffee machine so she’d see it before work. Added sticky note: “Loser buys tacos tonight?”
Action 2: Called mom Friday to secretly get sis’s favorite childhood cookie recipe. Burnt the first batch horribly, second batch looked ugly but tasted okay. Left ziplock bag hanging on her apartment doorknob with “Nostalgia Attack Inside” written in sharpie.
Action 3: Saturday morning, snuck over early with spare key. Scrubbed her crusty bathtub till my arms hurt. That pink mildew stain near drain just wouldn’t die. Left rubber duck on edge holding sign: “Clean freak was here – duck knows nothing”.
Action 4: Remembered her complaining last month about broken headphones. Found exact model on sale Sunday. Couldn’t afford fancy packaging so wrapped in tinfoil shaped like rabbit ears. Slid under her car wiper like parking ticket.
Action 5: Pirated every Studio Ghibli movie Monday night when insomnia hit. Made stupid Netflix-style categories: “When U Feel Like Crying” / “When U Want Calm”. Texted her the drive link at breakfast: “Emergency Ghibli care package – STAT!”
Action 6: Tuesday skipped lunch break to drive her to abandoned drive-in theater. Brought dollar store Twizzlers and cheap cider. Played her trashy 90’s pop playlist from phone speakers till security kicked us out.
Why Bothering Matters
Saw her smile after finding the Switch. Like full-on snort-laughing at my sticky note. Cookie text said “burned = authentic childhood flavor”. Headphones made her FaceTime me instantly with foil rabbit on head. Drive-in got soggy but we belted Britney till voices cracked. Cheap? Yes. Lame? Probably. But doing stuff with your hands beats just texting “thx” any damn day. Her grin after tub cleaning? Priceless. Still owe Mario Kart tacos though.
