This morning, I rose from my slumbers, stumbled to the shower, and promptly discovered there was no hot water. #newyorkproblems I didn’t get upset–I’m trying to extend the length of my shampoos anyway. So, I grabbed the box of presents I’d packed up last night (shipping is cheaper than CHECKING A BAG–but that’s another post) and headed off to the post office. And as I hauled the big ol’ box across the treacherous ice patches of Columbus Avenue, I thought to myself “Oh Mary. You silly girl. Going to the post office on the busiest shipping day of the year.” But somehow, this expectation of standing in an endless line forever made me pleasantly surprised when I found the line only two loops long and only half of the windows unattended.
Of course, other people did not have such low expectations and were palpably bothered. But none so much as the lady in front of me in line. She did not try to engage me in conversation–but she did talk to the people in front of her (who had like 9 packages) and I listened, OF COURSE. She was upset because the Post Office failed to deliver a package on Saturday and didn’t leave a note and and they lied because she was home and blah blah blah. And then she said “Well, I just think we can’t not say anything about this. As citizens, we need to do something.” And I really wanted someone to make eye contact with me and share an eye roll–but no one did.
When I finally got called to the window, the man made fun of my stickers–BUT it was significantly cheaper to ship the presents home–so there’s that.
It’s not going to get better. Set your expectations low. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Hello? I Forgot My Mantra. 