Today we were blessed with the presence of sixteen four year olds at our post office. Now if you know the size of our post office, you might wonder where we put them all--some here and some there.
Each one had a letter to mail to their home and I let them hand cancel the stamp and then put the letter in the correct slot for their home--whether it be a post office box or a slot on the carrier's case. We have done this for a number of years and I should not be surprised of the firsts. This was much better than the time one of the kids threw up at the post office. I think they were coming down with something--not a reflection of their opinion of the tour. Poor kid was embarrassed. I thank my clerk for handling that dirty job while I finished the tour.
This year we did have two other firsts. Some of the kids don't have a slot to put their letter in because it goes to the west side of town and has to ride on the "big truck that will take your letter tonight and then deliver it to your home tomorrow", as I told them. Perhaps she found that scary, or perhaps she had heard about lost mail, or maybe her parents only grumble about mail and don't like to receive it; but for the first time we had a little girl who did not want to part with her letter. No matter how we tried to tell her what fun it would be to get it at her home tomorrow in the mail, she was tearfully clinging to her letter. The teacher even tried demanding. She was steadfast. The teacher and an aide stayed with her while I continued with my tour. Somehow she finally decided to mail her letter and we cheered. (Now I pray it doesn't go astray.)
As the group was leaving, I gave them, as is the tradition, a postal coloring book. The teacher encouraged them as to etiquette when someone gives you something and here was the other first...A little girl raised her hand. I acknowledged her and she said, "Thank you, but no thank you. Coloring is just not my thing." From a four year old!!
Well, they made my day. As I get closer to retirement these tours will just be memories that will make me smile long after I'm gone.
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