What Does Your Mailman Know About You? More Than Your Address.
The worst thing about delivering the mail, Stephen Starring Grant says in 'Mailman,' his warm and oddly patriotic new book about being a rural carrier in Virginia for a year during Covid, isn't dogs, although some 5,000 carriers are attacked each year and a few die each decade. To fend them off, postal workers learn to carry multiple cans of Halt! dog spray.In training, they're told to take nothing for granted: 'Spray it till the can goes dry. Get them in the T zone: eyes and nose, eyes and nose.'
The worst thing isn't the seething bees and wasps (also spiders) that lurk in neglected mailboxes. It isn't the awkward and painful stretching required to drive stock vehicles from the passenger seat, which one must do when, as often happens, a rural carrier supplies his or her own car. It isn't how heavily armed people are now, so that there is a 'continuous nonzero chance of someone shooting you.' It isn't rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail nor extreme heat in un-air-conditioned postal trucks. It isn't the 69-pound packages (the U.S.P.S. declines anything over 70). It isn't the high injury rate, especially for rotator cuffs.
The worst thing about delivering mail is the 'casing' that's required before you head out each morning. To case the mail is to painstakingly set everything (envelopes, boxes, magazines, postcards, parcels, you name it) in order, so that you can easily retrieve it while on the road. 'The fact is that every day, each letter carrier effectively builds a library, loads it into a truck and then disperses that library in route order,' Grant writes. Casing takes patience. Many rubber bands are involved. It's a hassle. Doing it poorly can add misery and hours to your day.
Grant found himself grudgingly delivering the mail in middle age (he was 50) because he'd lost his job as a marketing consultant. He had a wife, two teenage daughters and a tiny but worrisome nugget of prostate cancer. He needed the job for health insurance and to ward off the biggest dog, depression. Several years earlier, he'd moved his family from Brooklyn back to his hometown, Blacksburg, Va., in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so that his children would grow up with grass under their feet. Until he was laid off, he still commuted regularly to New York and other major cities.
Delivering the mail was harder on Grant, physically and mentally, than he'd expected, he tells us in 'Mailman.' But he offers insight and cheer about the upsides. He liked being able to check in on lonely people and do good turns. He often felt he delivered something more than just the mail: 'Continuity. Safety. Normalcy. Companionship. Civilization. You know, the stuff that a government is supposed to do for its people.'
He enjoyed the rich pageant of offbeat products that flowed through his truck. 'If you think your carrier doesn't notice when you order a sex toy,' he writes, 'you're wrong.' He liked the days when orders of baby chicks came in, though delivering the heavy bags of chicken feed that followed was a bummer. People gave him cookies; he often got free coffee at Starbucks. He got a lot of steps in, often 15,000 a day.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How you can cope — or help others — when disasters strike
At least 135 people, including 37 children, died in the Texas floods over the July 4 holiday weekend. All told, the US sustained 403 weather and climate disasters from 1980–2024, where overall damages and costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. And in the first half of 2025, we experienced 15 separate billion-dollar weather disasters, including tornadoes, hail, wind, and flash flooding from severe thunderstorms. Learn more: How much does flood insurance cost in every state? Earl Johnson wrote a new book about how to cope when those disasters hit home: Finding Comfort During Hard Times: A Guide to Healing after Disaster, Violence, and Other Community Trauma. At the American Red Cross national headquarters, Johnson's responsibilities included preparedness and response to every domestic mass fatality incident since the weeks after 9/11, including transportation incidents, natural disasters, and criminal acts. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation: Kerry Hannon: What was the experience of aiding in a disaster that made this work become your mission? Earl Johnson: 9/11 changed everybody's lives. I moved from lower Manhattan to Arlington, Va., on Sept. 9, 2001. I was in the backyard, and I heard the plane hit the Pentagon. I had training as a hospital chaplain and it kicked in. All of my skills and everything were transferable to a disaster. Hurricane Katrina was my other seminal event. I was with the Red Cross, and we were tasked to open a thousand shelters for a thousand people each in the next 24 hours. It wasn't just a Red Cross response. It wasn't just a federal response. It was everybody, all hands on deck. And we were a team. With the Texas Hill country flooding disaster on our minds, what's the best action for someone to take if you want to give, but you can't be there in person? The temptation for many people is to drop everything and go help the victims. And that's the wrong thing to do unless you have specialized training and also an invitation to go with an official group. The best thing you can do, if you can afford it, is to contribute — give money, but don't give stuff. A lot of times that will just inundate a community. The best thing is to stay, pray, and pay. If you have a specific charity, great. Many people contribute to a faith-based charity or the American Red Cross or Salvation Army. Donations do make a difference, and you are doing something. Sign up for the Mind Your Money weekly newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Is this something that you recommend for those who might be retired and have time to volunteer on-site? Yes. But don't wait until the disaster happens. Get your disaster training because there are unique aspects of disasters, and you need to be trained for a specific function whether it be shelter management or mass care feeding. Retirees offer a pool of expertise. How would someone get that training? Well, I'm prejudiced. I love the Red Cross. I spent 10 years responding to disasters with them. They have an excellent volunteer program and training. Why is it so important for everyone to have some sort of a disaster plan in place for their community, home, and business? We never know when there is going to be a catastrophic event. But we have to go on living, and we have to live fully and freely without that kind of anxiety. Making a disaster plan is not only good business, it's also common sense — because that's another way of not only taking care of yourself and your family, it's also taking care of your customers and your business. For example, you should have a "go bag" of things to take with you with a flashlight and solar radio, for example. Build a rainy day emergency fund. Have a disaster communications plan in case there's a blackout or the landlines go down. You write in your book about being on the alert for entrepreneurs and predators and other people coming into a community under the guise of offering help. How do we guard ourselves from being taken advantage of? It's the second wave of the disaster. Good, kindhearted people respond, but also entrepreneurs and predators who want to take advantage of the vulnerable. Do a background check. Check with a local Better Business Bureau, the police department, the Red Cross, local media, and others in your community to find out if they have heard of this group, or were aware that this group has descended upon the community and are going door-to- door offering roof repairs or whatever. A lot of people get victimized because they're already vulnerable, because the emotional and spiritual aspects of disasters are so traumatic. If you are in the disaster zone, you already are vulnerable and you want help and you want assistance. Don't sign anything until they have been checked out. What's the first thing to ask yourself before you head off to a disaster zone to lend a hand? You can't imagine how many people drop everything, get in their car with a couple bags of ice and a couple dozen sandwiches, and drive a thousand miles to help. When I am screening potential volunteers, I would always ask them why they want to respond, so stop and first ask yourself that question. Who's going to take care of your family and pets if you are gone? Do you have two to three weeks that you can donate? You also need to be willing to be managed. You can't be the big hotshot coming down to do your part. You need to take about small disasters? Unemployment can be a disaster for people. Elaborate. There are thousands of everyday disasters. There are house fires, divorce, homelessness, mental health issues, and yes, unemployment. Nothing is more violent and traumatic than unemployment. One day your identity as your job or your vocation that you've contributed so much to is gone. You need to start with considering what gives you hope. What is your source of hope and meaning? Make a fearless personal assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Take that personal inventory, especially because you're devastated when you lose your job. You have to say, wait a minute, I was employed. I have skills, I have learning, and it does have value, and I have made a difference. Talk to people and go deeper and ask them what are the good things they notice about you? What are the things they see that you do well? What's your biggest takeaway from the book for readers? Comfort is essential. Preparedness is caring and taking care of one another. It is a huge gift not only to come in and help people to rebuild their home, but also to be a good neighbor and to be a good listener. You may not have physical things that people need, but you have a good ear, and you can support one another. Disasters are not only physical. They're also emotional and spiritual. For more information on how you can help, check out the Red Cross and FEMA sites. Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming "Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future," "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work," and "Never Too Old to Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Authorities make difficult decision after observing concerning grizzly bear behavior: 'In the interest of human safety'
Authorities make difficult decision after observing concerning grizzly bear behavior: 'In the interest of human safety' As more people settle near wildlife habitats, encounters between humans and animals are becoming harder to avoid — and sometimes, they end in difficult decisions. Last month, Idaho wildlife officials euthanized a grizzly bear after it showed an alarming shift in behavior, repeatedly seeking out human food in a residential neighborhood. According to KTVB, officials said the bear's growing comfort around people and its persistence in finding garbage posed a serious safety risk. What's happening? The bear appeared in the Pinehaven area of Island Park. It was captured on doorbell cameras rummaging through trash, pressing against buildings, and breaking into vehicles to find food. Idaho Fish and Game, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, determined the bear had become too accustomed to human-related food and had lost its natural wariness of people. "Due to the bear's consistent seeking of unnatural food and habituation to residential areas, it was captured and euthanized in the interest of human safety," Idaho Fish and Game stated, per KTVB. Why is this incident important? When wild animals associate neighborhoods with food, the risks escalate quickly. Bears that lose their fear of people often return to populated areas, increasing the chance of dangerous encounters. Officials warn that these conflicts don't just put wildlife at risk but also create safety concerns for neighborhoods. Bears repeatedly entering residential areas increase the chances of dangerous encounters and can strain local resources, including law enforcement and wildlife management. While conservation efforts often focus on protecting ecosystems, managing attractants like garbage, pet food, and fruit trees is just as much about protecting people. Preventing these conflicts reduces the need for lethal actions and helps communities coexist more safely with nearby wildlife. What's being done about incidents like this? Wildlife officials stress that prevention starts at home. Residents are urged to store garbage inside locked sheds or garages and only set out the bins on collection day. Bear-resistant containers are also recommended. Other simple steps include removing bird feeders during bear season, keeping pet food indoors, and securing fruit trees and beehives with electric fencing. These actions help prevent future conflicts and reduce the risk of dangerous encounters. Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
I spent my entire life running from my hometown. At 32, I moved back to save money, and I've never been happier.
I liked growing up in my small Maine hometown, but I always wanted to live somewhere else. At 32, I returned to my childhood home and worked remotely while figuring out my next chapter. I was surprised by how much I loved it — I've developed a new appreciation for the life I've lived. When I left my small Maine hometown for college at 17, I felt ecstatic. It was a good place to grow up, but I was ready to meet people who hadn't known me since I was in diapers, see new things, and move far away … permanently. So, when I decided to move back home a few months before my 33rd birthday, no one was more shocked than I was. I figured this would be a temporary phase — something I'd endure, a layover on my way to somewhere better. I certainly didn't expect to bloom in a place I'd once been so eager to leave. For most of my teens and 20s, I defined my success by how far I moved from home I went to college in Massachusetts and then spent my 20s moving around. I lived in Providence, Boston, Philadelphia, and then Boston again. Through it all, my Maine hometown was a place to visit for the holidays or crash between leases, but it was never home. When my second stint in Boston came to a natural end in my early 30s, I had the idea of moving back in with my parents and saving some money while I worked my corporate job remotely and figured out where I wanted to live next. Before I knew it, I was loading my stuff into storage and moving back to my childhood home. Growing up, the idea of moving back home and in with my parents felt like my personal nightmare and definition of failure. So, I was surprised when the shame and embarrassment I expected to feel never came. Instead, I loved spending quality time with my parents, now as adults on equal footing. After years of city life, I appreciated having a backyard and easy access to the ocean just a few miles away. I loved chatting with neighbors and seeing my childhood best friend more regularly. What I loved the most, though, was how it felt to hit successful milestones in the same place I swore I could never grow. I paid off my student loans in my living room and saw the northern lights from my backyard. I continued working remotely from the dining room table and traveled a ton. In spite of everything I had once believed, I wasn't just living — I was thriving. Returning to the place I grew up has brought up old memories and helped me appreciate the life I've lived When I come inside from clearing off cars and shoveling snow, I'm flooded with memories of kicking off my boots and racing upstairs for hot cocoa as a kid, cheeks flushed from hours spent playing in the snow. I go to the grocery store with my mom, following her around and chatting about everything and nothing, and have flashbacks to being 10 years old and doing the same. Relaxing on the deck, sun-drunk and hungry after a day of swimming, makes me feel 12 again. Pulling into the driveway after running an errand takes me back to being 16 and giddy that I could drive myself anywhere I wanted. I walk my dog past the mailbox that once delivered my college acceptance letters. Every version of me is here, and after years of running away from that, I've finally learned how beautiful it is. Returning to where I grew up has made me grateful that I spent nearly 18 years building my foundation here. I've been back home for a little over a year now, and I'm not sure if I'll stay here forever. I don't know that I'll ever get tired of exploring new places and trying out new homes. I do know one thing, though: The roots I once tried to dig up have stuck, and I'm grateful for where they are. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
