Two weeks ago, my best friend, or rather my soul sister, asked me for my mailing address at school. As any college student would, I got very excited. The act of receiving a package at school is so thrilling! Sometimes I buy stuff online just to be able to open the package (I know I’m not the only one). Anyway, I made the assumption that she was sending me something, but she made an excuse that kind of threw me off that thought. She told me she had to use my address for a recommendation or something, clever.

As the week moved on, I forgot about that conversation for the most part, as my days were spent stressing and barely finding the time to sleep. There were a few times where I panic-texted her about not being happy and she read way more into what I actually told her; she understood what I wasn’t saying. She knew that I just needed someone there, but with her being in Northern Massachusetts and me in Virginia, there wasn’t any way she could be physically there. So what did she do?

I got an email from mail services randomly on Tuesday, which just so happened to be Valentine’s Day. I don’t know what I was expecting, but when the girl behind the counter went towards a long green box that had ‘Pro Flowers’ printed on it, I realized I was totally off because not at all was I expecting flowers.

I brought the package back to my dorm, opened it up, read the directions (yes, there were directions with the flowers, and very specific ones, at that). I cut and prepped all the flowers, placing them in the vase that I was instructed to add room temperature water and one of the packages of flower food to.

That was most adult-like thing I had done at school so far.

Now, my job wasn’t over, however. After endless Snapchats, text messages and (specifically) 3 days later, I had to re-cut the flower stems, add new water and the second bag of flower food. Now, was this bag any different than the first? Probably not, but I just did what the instructions told me.

After living with these beautiful creations of nature for a few days now, I’ve realized it’s not the flowers that make me happy. Of course they are gorgeous and brighten up my desk, but it’s the honest fact that they were sent to me to brighten up my mood. I was thought of and that, for me, was the most precious thing about the flowers.

So the next time you have someone you love who is feeling a little down, send them flowers (they don't even need to like flowers; typically I don't like them, but these were different). A simple gesture like that can mean so much more than you think. Everyday when I look at them, I think of her, and I think of how much I miss her, but then I think of how much I love her. It’s wonderful to know that she reciprocates the love.