Aug15

a form of action.

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after my recent post

about waiting a long time for ice cream

i had yet another epic episode of waiting

when i stopped by the post office

(i honestly love the post office, the joy of mailing things… )

the photo above shows how many postal workers

were at the counter when i walked in

i read the sign and waited

what if there is no available clerk?

what if there is no clerk at all?

still waiting

 i’m not a person who minds waiting in line

 usually end up bonding with the line

at a certain point in the process

we support each other

by talking, guessing how long it will take

showing pictures, imagining scenarios

the line kept getting longer

and

yet longer

not one person left

a man sitting in a chair

called out

‘what happened?’

every so often.

one person called home to say

‘we’re here in line and there’s one working at the post office.’

we finally saw one worker

walk from the back to the counter

she’d been getting a pile of mail

for the man in the chair

this friendly smiling young woman

announced to our line

‘i’m the only person here until 11.’

it was 10:10

she was un-frazzled

stayed calm and professional

another person in line

called the post office from their cell phone

thinking another worker in back might pick it up

no one answered because their one employee

was at the counter

helping our long line

we reassured her

we weren’t upset with her

amazed how well she was handling it

she quietly called up each person

when it was finally my turn

i told the line

 my business would be quick

one responded

‘that’s what they all say!’

now the whole line

was laughing together

no one was upset

they were happy

when it only took a couple of minutes

to get my package on its way

right before i left

i noticed a mini post office

very detailed

made of

paper and cardboard and paint

set up on her counter

i asked who had made this

she told me it was her

wow

now this is someone

who loves her job

 is an artist

has incredible patience

even under pressure

 i would like to nominate her

to be the postmaster.

‘patience is also a form of action.’

 -auguste rodin

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35 responses »

  1. I love how this became such a memorable experience. If I ever have to wait in a long line, I want you to be there. 😊

    I don’t go to the post office very often now, but I used to go often to the small one in our town, and I knew most of the people who worked there (they’ve all retired). They were always very friendly and helpful.

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  3. I also love and deeply appreciate the post office. It’s frustrating when there’s a line, but always worth it when the desk clerks are kind and helpful. It feels like a throwback to a simpler time.

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  4. ‘All things come to those who wait’?
    This proverbial saying was used by the English poet Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie (1843-1905), under her pseudonym of Violet Fane, in her poem Tout vient a qui sait attendre:

    ALL hoped-for things will come to you
    Who have the strength to watch and wait,
    Our longings spur the steeds of Fate,
    This has been said by one who knew.
    …
    ‘Ah, all things come to those who wait,‘
    (I say these words to make me glad),
    But something answers soft and sad,
    ‘They come, but often come too late.’

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  5. She should get a promotion! We have fewer Post Offices now than we once had because of privatisation of the service, but the main one in the nearest town always has at least 4 (out of 6) working positions open.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  14. Oh, Beth…I love the post office, too! And this made me grin, your confession about who you are in line:

    usually end up bonding with the line
    at a certain point in the process
    we support each other

    Amen! Some of the best conversations I’ve ever had with strangers/new friends occur in the post office line.
    💝💝💝

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  15. I’m going to the post office on Monday. I hope it moves more quickly than your line, but there’s usually only one person there as well, even if there are a few in the back room moving around. Loved your story. And the bonus of going to the post office is getting such pretty stamps.

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  16. I’m tickled that you found a cheerful and competent postal worker to interact with. Her little blue drop box was endearing. I don’t fault the customer-facing employees, but I fault the entire beaurocratic nightmare that is the federal post office.
    This is a very sore point with me. We have terrible service (in the metropolitan area of Houston, not a small remote farm community!), both at our mailbox and in our post office buildings. Photos of employees walking narrow paths between waist-high loose stacks of slip-sliding mail piled on the floor were circulated last year. Packages are not delivered, and/or completely erroneous info is given on the status of packages. It is now routine for us to receive 1st class mail more than 3 weeks after it was posted.
    I think we should outsource the whole thing to Amazon, FedEx and UPS. They know how to do the job, they collect relevant metrics, they share meaningful transit data, they are technology innovators, and they have a remarkable record of correct deliveries.
    End of rant.

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    • i feel like they have been run down to the bare minimum with lack of funding, support, training, staffing, equipment, etc. – i’m not for privatizing it at all, it would only make it a business, in the hands of those who already control so much – a moneymaker for them

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