If you look at the above picture you can see pretty much what Nebraska looks like on a snowy early morning. If you can envision that same scene at 2 AM you know it will be pretty dark, despite a fullish moon.This is our life these days! We are proud to be the newest carriers here for the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper.
At 2 AM our alarm rudely wakes us. We shuffle to get fresh coffee and wake up our eyes. Norm pulls on his clothes and boots and heads for the newspaper drop at the tire store in our sleepy little town. There is open shelter there for easy access for the newspapers that have been dropped off to be delivered all over town. Sometimes the other Lincoln carrier and the World Herald carrier converge at the same time, eager to get their papers into the hands of their customers; they also want to grab some coffee and a nap!
Our route has approximately 70 papers, depending on who lives in assisted living or who went to the nursing home or who is vacationing. We bring the bundles into the house, fold, bag, tie and load them into manageable sized boxes. The larger bundles, meant for stores, are separated so we can drop them off at the appropriate place. It is crucial these newspapers be placed in bags to protect them from the elements.
If all goes well, and we don't get stuck like we did one morning-THANK YOU, ANDRE, FOR PLAYING THE ROLE OF THE GUARDIAN ANGEL-we are home right around 6 AM, just in time to unplug the telephone and catch some zzzzz's!
We bumble around in the dark, making every effort to identify house numbers, remember who gets a paper on which days and making certain the paper is placed where the customer wants it. You'll be happy to know it's getting easier every day! But not nearly as happy as I am! I am the one who's bumbling and stumbling!
The good news is that we've had no complaints so far! The bad news is that we got 126 papers that were not ours yesterday and they were bagged and tied before we knew what the real scoop was.
SIDEBAR: The real deal was that the delivery truck guy left them; I guess he had no clue they were not ours, either. 70+ PLUS 126 = too many papers for one route; LOTS of LAUGHS and GROANS; and one great story to tell! END SIDEBAR
We marvel that we have this opportunity to work as a well ordered team. At our age-you recall that there have been MANY birthday cakes with 33 candles in this house-that we are willing and ABLE to scramble uphill to driveways too slick and too steep to maneuver; that we can remember which house gets the Wednesday edition; that we have the umpity-go and limber enough joints to DO this daily deed is delightful to us and we are very, very grateful.
I wonder: Would we be able to manage this grind if we did not have The Healing Codes? Well, I'm not going to experiment and let them go. We have papers to deliver and life to live! Thank goodness for peace, joy, fun, success, laughter and the opportunity to work closely with the Normanator!
Seems like living on a nursing home or an assisted living facility has become a trend nowadays. I am hoping there are willing people who can work with our loved ones needing health assistance.
ReplyDeleteBTW, nice career. Keep up the good work.
Nursing home work was another of my offline careers, Ben...that was long ago. I also worked as a massage therapist in nursing homes. I was often at odds with the quality of care in those places; when my son lived in a nursing home for a decade I was the mother who ranted and raved! Now he's in a Group Home and I have this "glamorous" new career! Isn't life interesting? Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to stop by and leave your thumbprint, Ben. It's readers/comments like yours that keep me motivated to continue writing.
ReplyDeleteWarmly,
Mother Connie