The other afternoon I was standing in line at the post office, and in front of me there was a mom and her young son, who was maybe 4 or 5 years old. She had on a fleece jacket and jeans, and wore her hair up in a slightly disheveled ponytail with a pen shoved through it...she carried packages in her arms, and wore no makeup. Her son was in his red flannel christmas pajamas, his hair was tousled, and he wore black rubber galoshes on his little feet.
The lines at my local Postal Station, (not a regular post office, but a postal annex inside another group of shops) take a long time to get through. The older ladies who work there are in no particular hurry; they have served the neighborhood in this spot for years, and the regular clientele seems to understand this.
The boy spent his time waiting patiently, rearranging and stacking the mailing envelopes and assorted packaging materials for sale that line the shelves along the wall. When his mom reached the counter, the clerk handed her a basket of candy canes to offer to the boy, and she turned and handed it to him, saying the lady was offering him a candy. He took the basket and considered each and every candy before choosing one. Then, standing on his toes (because he was quite a bit shorter than counter height) he shoved the basket back toward the clerk, and said quite loudly, "THANK you!"
That made my day.
The lines at my local Postal Station, (not a regular post office, but a postal annex inside another group of shops) take a long time to get through. The older ladies who work there are in no particular hurry; they have served the neighborhood in this spot for years, and the regular clientele seems to understand this.
The boy spent his time waiting patiently, rearranging and stacking the mailing envelopes and assorted packaging materials for sale that line the shelves along the wall. When his mom reached the counter, the clerk handed her a basket of candy canes to offer to the boy, and she turned and handed it to him, saying the lady was offering him a candy. He took the basket and considered each and every candy before choosing one. Then, standing on his toes (because he was quite a bit shorter than counter height) he shoved the basket back toward the clerk, and said quite loudly, "THANK you!"
That made my day.
1 comment:
Sweet! I love those small contract post offices - our Seattle neighborhood had a couple. Here in Topanga, our Federal Post Office is kind of a center, since so many residents get their mail by post box, and it is very homey around Christmas time.
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