Day 19 - A Story of a Life Changing Experience
A mail carrier in the middle of winter delivering mail. I looked a lot like this, only I didn't have the uniform. I was still on my three-month probationary period.
In February of 2013, I started working for the US Postal Service as a mail carrier. I gained an incredible amount of respect and appreciation for the work mail carriers do. Day in and day out, rain, snow, or shine, men and women all across the country are delivering letters, magazines, and packages to every home, business, and organization in America; the only exception: holidays and Sundays.
I started working for the postal service because our family needed more income. I needed to do something else in addition to my part-time job working at UNI in order to fully support our family. I learned very quickly that being a mail carrier was not my calling. In fact, I failed miserably at being a Mail Carrier. Over the two months I worked at the post office, I had become accustomed to working about five different routes in Cedar Falls and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get down the patterns and practices of being a carrier. I would:
-Drop letters.
-Deliver mail to the wrong houses having to go back, gather the incorrect deliveries, and take them to their proper location.
-Spend some days running on my route in all of my winter gear just to make better time (I always received feedback that I needed to "hurry up.").
-Leave packages in the truck and drop them off to houses after I delivered all letters and magazines. I just couldn't carry everything.
-Run into people I knew and worked with previously that didn't recognize me or acknowledge my presence as I dropped off their mail for the day.
It was a life-changing experience. Each day, I kept trying to tell myself that there is worthwhile and meaningful work behind what I was doing. Every delivery had a story of some sort and I was contributing to those stories. But each day was challenging, difficult, and downright un-motivating because I couldn't improve and do a job well.
In the midst of working at the post office, I continued working hard at trying to find work that would align with my background and goals. Luckily, I was offered a job to work at Wartburg College just two days after I was let go at the post office. I had never been asked to quit my job. I've worked some pretty challenging jobs before (roadside management, detasseling, paper routes, hog confinement cleaning, etc.), but I believe this one "took the cake" for me personally.
Again, I deeply appreciate and admire the work our mail carriers do day in and day out. There are some people who are called to be mail carriers. To give you an example, there's a postal carrier from the Denver, Colorado area named Fred. In the book, The Fred Factor, readers are introduced to a man who deeply cares for the customers he serves. His passion and value in delivering the mail is unlike any other. I highly recommend the book as it contains simple, powerful lessons for all us as we live out our lives contributing to the greater good.
I tell this story not to put down the US Postal Service rather to share a life-changing experience. Being a mail carrier wasn't for me and sometimes you have to do things you don't like or that don't necessarily fit you. That's how you grow and learn. When you get into these positions, don't let yourself settle. Keep dreaming and fighting your way to where you want to be. Continue seeking out your passions, utilize your gifts, and find a vocation/calling that is attached to your values, interests, skills, and personality. You might have to take some different steps to get there, but in the end, it will be worth it. The more we try to squeeze ourselves into a job or career that isn't a part of our calling, the more challenging and disappointing our lives can be.
