Just had a good little chat with my postman. For the first time. Ever.
And, it made me reflect for just a moment that we probably don’t do that enough.
Take time.
Stop.
Have a conversation with a … stranger? But he’s not…
Apparently he’s been walking my route for about 18 years. I’ve lived there for just over half that time.
And the longest conversation we’ve had before today was, ‘hi!’ and ‘bye.’
I’m glad I stopped for a minute or two. Because here’s what else I learned about good ‘ole Postman Stuart…
He’s near retirement (I won’t share his exact age).
He’s been working this job for twenty-six years, after starting to ‘earn a bit of money, save up and then move on.’
…26 years later !
Does his story sound similar to yours?
I asked, so are you happy? He answered, ‘I’ve been doing this for twenty-six years .’
But do you enjoy it?
…
He leaves the house at 5am. Gets to work for 5.30am.
He eventually gets home between 3 & 5pm on his working days.
He just chills out when he’s home (wouldn’t you after a 12-hour shift?!)
He walks 23,000 miles a day (approx).
He’s run 5 marathons.
He’s chatty and smiley and I’m looking forward to my next conversation with him.
How about you? I want to challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and make time to have a conversation with your postman, or even the next homeless person you pass on the street. It’s amazing what you discover about people and the new, positive relationships that can flow from these interactions!