When the Beatles sang this song in 1963 (“Please Mr. Postman” - written by William Garrett, Georgia Dobbins, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, and Robert Bateman), everyone I knew looked forward to the daily contents within their mail receptacles. Now when the mail is delivered, many of my generation still look for something more than bills Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays. The mailman, and also mailwoman, are less respected by the younger generation who rarely write anything in cursive or block letters via snail mail to anyone. Their preferred method of communication is text. Or blog. Maybe emails. Letter writing is a lost art, as well as a dying means of communication.
In the late 1990s, when mail carriers delivered cards and letters to appreciative customers, Kevin Costner starred in a 1997 movie, THE POSTMAN. It was a bleak look at a future in which society breaks down due to a proliferation of violent acts perpetuated by hate groups. War breaks out. The population is decimated by a plague. A drifter, played by Costner, becomes a Postman, offering hope to those who receive old letters he found in a deserted post office. We liked the movie. It did not make a profit. Millions of people may have seen it, but they did not like it. It was deemed a box office failure. Sure, it might have been schmaltzy and corny, but I loved the idea of a postman and his deliveries being the most vital way for an intelligent, sensible, cohesive world to communicate with one another. It’s still a preferred means of communication for me.
Every holiday and birthday a friend I worked with for a year (1981-82) sends me a greeting card, and she receives one from me. We’ll keep up this practice until one of us is too feeble to go out to buy a card or can’t remember who the other one is. This practice helps to keep our friendship vital - even before we discovered the internet. Loved ones receive birthday cards annually even though some of them prefer social media to celebrate the occasion. When we’re on vacation, we send postcards to those we would normally see if we were home. Those folks don’t have social media accounts! The mail carriers are still revered by them and us.
During this COVID-19 experience, we look forward to seeing our mail carrier more and more. He has always had a somewhat solitary job - driving alone with mail to be delivered. Now we interact a little more with Nelson, or a substitute mail carrier when he is ill or on vacation. We ask how he’s doing. We inquire about the impact of social distancing on his job, and if he’s concerned about getting the virus. He continues to be upbeat and positive. We continue to offer a smile, a wave, and/or a bottle of water - even if he only delivers bills and junk mail. If you think of it, thank your mail carrier today. Just stay six feet apart.
Since the start of 2020, and the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic statistics, my friends and I have relied on humor to buoy our spirits and to cope with the overwhelming news about this disease that consumes the daily morning, midday, early & late night news shows. Instead of watching and listening 24/7, we open up our social media apps, eager to hear the latest musical parodies, see the recent political cartoons, and interact with friends to share humorous anecdotes or personal stories. Anything that makes us smile or laugh is considered lifesaving.
Husband shared this photo on Facebook today. It’s his idea for an app to help anyone who needs a face mask right away. So far, no one has taken him seriously. So far, this is his best joke yet. His sense of humor is one of his best traits. That and his laughter, his willingness to live with my unicorn collection & all my other collections for the past 39 years, his ability to iron anything that’s wrinkled whether it is his or mine, his work ethic that is continuing past a 48 year career in photo and video journalism, and so many other positive traits. He’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for me.
Being perfect for each other is a good thing. We enjoy each other’s company, before and during this stay-at-home period in our part of the world. Some folks roam freely, unaware or uncaring of the impact that their presence might have on others now and in the future. So be it. Can’t live someone else’s life or dictate how to live it. Just avoid them if their lifestyle negatively impacts your own. We do go out, but only one at a time to get food or medicine. We use home made masks when we venture out - not husband’s app, which isn’t as effective or comfortable. But it does have one advantage. The app prevents the dissemination of any information.
So many people are disseminating information these days - on social media, on TV and radio new shows, in print, on the internet, and in blogs like this one. My forte is light hearted wordplay. I was an English teacher, not a scientist or statistician. If you are an expert in a field that I need information about, I’ll go to you. I won’t try to do your job. In fact, I’ll share the information you give me! So share with me. What should I know during these unusual times? Share something to make me laugh. Share intellectual data that causes me to think. Just don’t share your germs. I can get those anytime I leave the house.
It’s only a 2 mile walk round trip to a major thoroughfare (US HWY 19), but it’s a wondrous journey to and from, especially during “stay-at-home” times. No, I’m not being bad. During these CoVid-19 conditions, Gov. DeSantis says we can venture outside to exercise. Under normal circumstances we do that daily. Today, I walked alone, and documented my world. On Friday, April 3, it was beautiful & mysterious.
Not just any sidewalk…this is the sidewalk from my neighborhood to the world beyond.
When Husband doesn’t walk with me, and he didn’t today, I walk up to an office building on US 19. It’s three stories, so I can build endurance by walking up and down the stairs. It’s also home to my orthopedic surgeon. Seven years ago he recommended a partial knee replacement so that I could keep walking. After the surgery, I visited him here. I also frequented the physical therapy center next door, which used these stairs to help me get back in shape. Its now across the street in a one story building. This place is an ideal place to walk when it’s hot, as it has a water fountain on each floor. It also has bathrooms, one which I used to wash my hands today after touching door handles & banisters. And if you need to see an orthopedic surgeon, try FK&OC.
The Florida Professional Building … home to The Florida Knee & Orthopedic Center.
Today was not hot. I didn’t need the air conditioned building – I just needed the stairs. This morning it was 60°, with low humidity. Outside it was sunny, with puffy white clouds in beautiful blue skies. On the way to my stair stepping activity, I took time to stop & smell the azaleas by a neighbor’s fence & yellow daisies growing wild by a drainage pipe. Neither had much of a scent, but they were lovely to see. Usually when I walk I’m intent on my time & pulse rate, and listening to my audiobook, but today I noticed everything around me.
AzaleasWildflowers … Yellow daisies? Or another kind of flower?
One of the mysteries I encountered along the way was a building for a PA that has been here for more than 30 years. We don’t recall seeing one or more cars parked here – ever. It only recently acquired the barbed wire fence around the perimeter. Before, I would cut through, picking up trash to deposit in a nearby dumpster. That trash was usually beer cans and food containers. The owner of this building definitely had a trash problem, necessitating the wire & ominous sign. No more shortcuts or garbage picking for me!
If the sign doesn’t deter you, the barbed wire will.
Driving to the FK&OC, I neglected to look behind the building. Once parked in front, I’d go inside, and after my appointment, I’d leave, never looking around outside. You might think you were in the country if you saw photographs of its backyard. In fact, if you stop and look at any particular part of my neighborhood, you might forget you are in an unincorporated area of a large city. It’s peaceful & green. Birds sing and squirrels scamper about. Rabbits and deer sometimes come out, foraging for food. Just don’t look around too closely or you’ll see the trash discarded by someone too lazy to find a garbage can.
Behind the Florida Professional Building, housing the Florida Knee & Orthopedic CenterView behind the building next to FK&OC
Walking home, I walked behind the Ace Hardware store, and as I rounded the corner next to the second hand sporting goods store, I spotted this sign above me: “Smile. You’re on Camera.” It’s good to know that my actions are being watched. I hope they are being recorded so that if I fall or get accosted, Husband can request the footage to help me. When I’m throwing trash in the dumpster, which is adjacent to this sign, no one can accuse me of dumpster diving. I’m doing the opposite. And no need to tell me to smile. That’s second nature to me.
It’s nice to know that someone is looking out for me.
Coming and going, this sign perplexed me: “ I found your box.” Since I didn’t lose a box, I know that sign was not meant for me. It intrigued me. What box? Where? How does the box owner contact the sign maker. Is the box valuable? Is it necessary? Or is someone thinking out of the box, and the sign maker wants him or her to get the box back right away to avoid creative, inventive thinking? It’s a sign!
Perhaps YOUR box is the missing box.
I’m home now. Sitting behind my house, I’m watching the squirrels scavenge the bird seed knocked out of the bird feeder. They can’t climb the pole anymore, so they have to wait for the bluejays to knock the seed out of the feeder. In case you don’t know, bluejays are big and finicky. They make the bird feeder sway when they land, so birdseed gets knocked out. They are also particular about what they eat, and swish out that which doesn’t please them. The squirrels don’t care. They eat anything. So does the bashful rabbit that lives beneath our shed. But they rarely eat at the same time. Squirrels can be intimidating. The other birds are smaller, and simply land and enjoy what is there. I could watch this wildlife show all day, but time is passing. I have a list of “To do today” items that should get done. Time to at least attempt to get some of the items on that list done.
Just one of several backyard squirrelsResident rabbit caught on camera before heading home.
Afterword: It’s not glamorous nor is it usually dangerous to be a writer. Writing is neither quick nor simple – if you are thoughtful, and mind your punctuation and grammar. That explains why I usually read others’ works & don’t do this as often as I’d like. For example, I need to see what’s in the fridge for breakfast – a meal I skipped before my walk – before it’s time for lunch. Dedicated authors sometimes forget to eat and lose track of time. They sequester themselves away, concentrating on intricate plots with multidimensional characters, so that all of us can read ourselves to different places with new people without leaving the comfort of our homes. Or they write opinion pieces, or expose the underpinnings of our world, so we can be motivated to think, or be better informed, knowing that good will triumph – or so I hope. Reading is my passion, and without authors, my life would be empty. So thank you you to you who write AND to you who read. Can’t have one without the other. I’m just a sometimes author, who started writing this over an hour ago, and I’m hungry. And I hear my “to do list” calling.
Friends are the backbone of life. Without them, life would be boring. It would be dull. It's only Wednesday, and I have enjoyed being with so many friends already. Sunday I met Meg at Panera's to learn about the changes at the district office concerning media specialists in Pasco County. Retired, those changes don't impact me, but they do impact others who are my friends. Good luck to you all.
Monday I participated in my Tai Chi class at the Palm Harbor Library, interacting with friends made in the past 16 months as a member of the class. Monday was also Leah's birthday - which we celebrated tonight at Chili's. It was also Samantha Slusak's service and funeral. She was only 23. Devastating. To lift my spirits, I visited my Mother-in-Law, who is my Mother and my friend.
Tuesday I visited my other Mother, Mater, who made us soup for lunch. I was a little late because I visited River Ridge to hug a couple of the teachers who contributed to my MDA walk on Feb. 9th. Thank you, Diana, Mimi, and Grady - friends even after my retirement. Mater's daughter, Roxie, also contributed - my sister/friend.
Today was another Tai Chi class, but first I attended the SENIOR FAIR at the St. Petersburg Coliseum with dear friends, Gene & Lou. We also had lunch with my best friend in the whole world - my husband, Michael. Ken, another friend, and expert in lighting video productions, came along with Michael to meet Gene & Lou, and eat with us. Tonight, Leah and I celebrated her 24th birthday at Chili's and now I'm awaiting my best friend's return from a night time gig at USF, manning one of the cameras at the BasketBULL game.
What will tomorrow bring? More friends, more adventures, and no chance of dull or boring moments.
Such a simple act - to say "Thank you!" To pick up a phone, and say it and remind the person you are calling WHY you appreciate him/her. To open a mail account online and write a quick note of appreciation. To write a thank you note, place it in an envelope, put a stamp on it, and address it. And what if the person is in your own home? Is a thank you enough? Or is there more one can do to show appreciation? Like doing the dishes after he creates a fantastic meal, or doing the laundry when the clothes hamper is full simply because time is available and it's a nice thing to do.
So simple to show appreciation, and so many ways to show it, but how many people do it? I just finished writing eight notes of appreciation to family and friends. I thanked each one of them once again for the memories we created during the holidays. Enclosed in each note is one picture, or as many as six pictures, to refresh the recipient's memory of our time together. Yes, the pictures are online at Shutterfly or Facebook or they were sent via email. Still, there is something about holding a picture, looking at it for as long or as little as one wants, and putting it in a scrapbook or frame to keep forever or a day.
Appreciation. Gratitude. So simple, yet it takes time. But if someone does something special, and if that person took the time to do something special, shouldn't we take the time to show our gratitude? Shouldn't we say thank you? Shouldn't we show how much we care?
