Party On, Party Off!

As I ventured out to do the mail yesterday, it was my plan to follow it up with a delightful Christmas party and quilt meeting.

 

With this front and center I approached the Post Office resolute that I would move quickly and set the pace, with plenty of time to transition into party clothes.

 

In high spirits, I thought let’s get this work out of the way, so I can play! 

 

The route I am doing is one that I hadn’t done in many months, so the people were far away in my brain storage since I hadn’t used them in quite awhile, and I knew I would be slow at first.

 

The first sight was five trays of mail to sort, one tray held three box holders, which means Everyone gets one, which then means, I stop at each and every mail box along the journey.  (Yes surprisingly some people don’t get mail each day, and we can smile and zip on by)

 

A glance at the packages showed that it was a ‘light’ day and so sorting I began filled with great expectations. 

 

A truck arrived within 20 minutes delivering packages for us to deliver, followed shortly by another truck with more packages for us to deliver, when it was all said and done, I had 85 packages to deliver.  The Post Master dropped a few off on her way to lunch, but the pile still was quite large.

 

With each thin flimsy bulk piece of mail I struggled with, time slipped by, and as it slipped by, my end of the day treat dangled precariously, and my attitude changed from feeling like I can make, to there is no way in Hell I will!

 

When I approached my mail car to fill it up with packages in order of which they will be delivered first, I noticed the remnants of my son’s deer that was transported home on the ‘luggage rack’ of my car.  If, someone muttered yesterday, “that bloody Mailman” they would have been literally correct.

 

Even though the window of time was very tight, I still had a bit of hope, if I moved swiftly delivering, perhaps, just maybe I could regain the slippage of time I lost in sorting.

 

Soon I knew the roads would be stealing the treat for sure.

 

I slipped and slide overshooting more mailboxes in my ‘haste to the party’ that I lost even more hope in the first half an hour.

 

No matter how gently I pressed on the gas, it spun, no matter how I eased on the brakes, it slid and I ended up out of reach of the mailbox.

 

We have to scan most packages since most carry the words, ‘Delivery Confirmation’ and my scanner wouldn’t work like normal.  Usually the laser picks up the bar code and away you go, but not today.

 

Today, it was tilt box forward and backwards, hold scanner closer, further away, upside down, while I am voicing very loudly, “come on, work with me!”

 

It is a fair estimation that out of the 85 boxes, 50 plus needed the scanner to ‘read and record’ that they were delivered.

 

The mail boxes are put there for our use only, but on this day, the UPS man chooses to use them.  He had hung huge bags holding huge packages, so that when I approached the box, they clung in the way of opening the box!  A few choice words were carefully directed at this man, and then reported to my Post Master….Come on Universe I cried, I have a party REMEMBER!

 

As I approached what we call the second half of the route, I knew that the second half would be even more fun than the first!

 

The estimation of reaching the party has faded, the mail and the route is who I am blaming for this and I just want to get it done and get home.

 

As I head out, I see the sun making it’s decent and with it goes my daylight or well my light to see the addresses on the mail I am to deliver.

 

I am okay for the first 15 minutes, and then I am squinting and holding the mail up to the dim interior light straining to see, while the strobe light now dances and confuses things inside the car.

 

In the daytime I don’t even know I have a light flashing above my head, but in the dark, it blinks fast, on and off!

 

Now you see, now you don’t, taunting me!

 

Oh, and the roads haven’t gotten better, I still slip and slide, and since this route I haven’t done in awhile, I am now straining to read numbers on mail boxes Did you know that the reflector numbers actually reflect light and just seem like bright lights, until you are right upon them!

 

Oh My God, I am now hysterical but in a scary way….the urge to toss the mail in one big pile is sooo huge!

 

We had a man who was training to be a back up and when it got dark he came back to the post office, done for the day.  Bringing with him the mail, which he just piled on the floor.

 

I wondered who in their right would do such a thing, just stop delivering the mail, now I am thinking who in their right mind would go against all odds and deliver ALL the mail!

 

Who is more a fool? 

 

I have been know to drive home with my flashing strobe light on, but I was so damn grateful to shut that taunting light off, which seemed to be a metaphor for the whole day.

 

Party On, Party Off!