This past Saturday was Bring Your Own Cup Day at 7/11, the third best day of the year behind Halloween and Christmas. You can bring anything you want, as long as it fits in a cutout circle that is 10 inches in diameter, for only $1.49. People brought their own Slurpee cups, empty two liter soda bottles, and even gallon milk jugs. If you had the right container, you could be getting upwards of 5 gallons of Slurpee for only $1.49.

Nonetheless, this momentous day is about more than consuming gallons of Slurpee for a dollar and a half.

The day is really about how creative you can be, how large of a container you can bring and still fit within the 10″ diameter rule.  Some stories were flexible with the rule, allowing inflatable rafts or pools, though that might seem like cheating the spirit of the day.  One individual took six empty two-liter bottles, cut off the tops and bottoms, and taped them together.  This fit within the 10″ diameter rule and showed true creativity.

Me?  I took two empty Arizona jugs, taped them together, and they only charged me for one.  I’m pretty sure I was close to achieving 7’11 Nirvana at that moment.

It was extraordinary.

While some may view this day as only a chance to get gallons of Slurpee on the cheap, I view it as a national holiday and a competition, like the Super Bowl, except that everyone can compete.

If there is ever a day to bring us together as a country, it is Bring Your Own Cup Day at 7/11.