It’s been said to me before that when you set something in your memory, a friends’ vehicle or a regular but significant interaction, you start noticing it more often in your everyday life. In the past, I would have scoffed at this notion.
But ever since taking up with the US Postal Service, I’ve found it all but impossible to avoid noticing the presence of the post office, even on my day off. I’ll be at home all day, never once stepping further from my home than the property line, and I’ll see a mail truck in some sitcom or movie. My family has taken great delight in pointing out a collection box or postal vehicle and saying “Look, it’s you!”
The sarcasm is strong in my family.
There are moments, however, that I’ll spot something that reminds me of work but doesn’t annoy me. Those are things of history, mostly. When I find something I know we used to use but is largely defunct, I’m always intrigued.
Spotted this in Dallas while I was out walking. That is a mail chute. When you have a multi-storied building that has multiple offices occupying it, you need an area to drop off outgoing mail, preferably on a floor the postman can access quickly. So, instead of leaving outgoing mail outside the office, tenants would simply drop the mail down the chute, and it’d be collected at the end of the day.
I wish we still used these, to be honest. Not only would be useful, since it’s uncommon for building tenants to use the collection box, but it’d be a connection between me and my postal brethren of decades past.
Small moments like this are things I enjoy immensely.
Stay safe out there, readers.
-JB Swift
Swift's Corner 