Candy with an inspirational note was left on cars in the commuter lot last week.

There was a heavy feeling of stress and anxiety in the air last Wednesday as hump-day really put us through our academic paces. I tiredly strolled out of my last class of the day back to my very cold Hyundai Elantra, where I knew it was going to take at least five minutes for the heat to finally kick in.

That day was one of the cold reminders that, yes, we live in Vermont, and yes, it gets reaaaaaaaally frigid quick. But it isn’t just the cold that is hitting students this time of the year: midterms and all sorts of middle-of-the-semester projects and tests are now occupying every minute of our thoughts. Oh, and everyone is sick. All. The. Time.

But as I shrunk deeper into my jacket, my eye caught something resting on my windshield. Gently tied with a little yellow ribbon, was a small plastic pouch of assorted candy, and slip of clean note paper folded in half.

I had two immediate thoughts: “What the fuck?” And, “hot damn Halloween came early.”

I casually slipped the little bag from my windshield into my crowded jacket pocket as I unlocked my vehicle. I then cranked the heat (which blew the iciest of air right into my face) and I untied the ribbon carefully with cold fingers.

I opened the little note to find it covered in tiny handwriting with the following quote: “Life is too short to waste any amount of time on wondering what other people think about you. In the first place, if they had better things going on in their lives, they wouldn’t have the time to sit around and talk about you. What’s important to me is not others’ opinions of me, but what’s important to me is my opinion of myself.” – C Joybell C.

This quote was followed by one more message at the very bottom: Check out Britt Nicole’s song: “Gold”.

Huh.

Was this self-promotion? Was a student attempting to gain listens/followers by bribing me with candy and inspirational quotes?

Because it would’ve worked. That Almond Joy almost guaranteed I was going to check it out.

So, I drove back home in still chilly car and contemplated the note. What I didn’t contemplate was the candy, which was gone before I even got out of my vehicle.

I sat down at the computer and Googled the artist and song. And I was not expecting to see an established (Christian Pop) artist and a hit single. The song was a pick-me-up. And boy-oh-boy was it catchy. I was feeling, intrigued. Like a song was about to be stuck in my head for 24 hours straight.

One thing that killed the vibe for me was the number of religious comments and support in the comment section. I know, you kind of have to expect that from fans of a Christian Pop artist. But I can only assume there was no hidden religious intent behind the small gift-bags, because the lyrics of the song do not suggest that in any way.

Being the investigator I am, I looked more into C. Joybell C. whose work is mainly known for delving into the mysterious, philosophical and esoteric. At least that’s what Google says.

I found this really, really amusing. Did you see the connection? The person that quoted an author that is known for mystery and philosophy, is just as mysterious leaving these small bags.

I would be interested in interviewing the sender of these bags, even if it’s anonymously. It was a small token that I can only assume brightened at least one person’s day. And I could hear a voice in the back of my head saying “now that’s the Castleton way.”