A Walk to the Post Office

I love it when one of the girls in the office asks me if I’d like to get the mail. It doesn’t happen very often but when it does, I get excited. You see, I don’t drive to the post office, I walk. And today was a most perfect day to say, Why, yes, I’d love to get the mail for you.

And so I grabbed the mailbox key and headed out.

There are many things you simply don’t notice from a car window but you most certainly can on a walk to the post office.

Our town was settled in 1821 but didn’t officially become a town until forty years later in 1861. Today it is home to over 10,000 people.

The old buildings around the square have had recent face lifts and are quite charming. Their age is still quite apparent in the moldings, trimmings, and brick. Even the doors and windows still show their age and I’m thankful for that. We have a Heritage Wall with plaques of all the different events that helped shape our little community. A bank robbery by a notorious bad guy is my favorite part of the history here.

Colorful murals have been painted on some of the buildings and they are quite tastefully done. Many of the sidewalks have been replaced but you can still find broken, cracked, and uneven remnants of once-upon-a-time.

An old building on a corner is now a real estate office and their old but freshly painted iron rod fence encloses a beautiful assortment of flowers. Across the street is a restaurant/ brewery. I remember when it was the old NAPA store. I appreciate when a building is reused instead of torn down.

I moved here in 1990. And this is where I raised my kids. I have memories. The town was pretty run down when I first moved here although there was a JC Penney’s on the square along with a Sears appliance store. I wish they were still here! But the town was suffering maybe in part because a huge company was shut down in 1987 and a great many people lost their jobs or were transferred to other states. It wasn’t until about ten years ago when things took a turn for the better and grants came in to help with renovations. People once again took pride in our hometown.

After I pass the Heritage Wall, but before I get to the post office, I pause in front of the building where I worked for a florist for seven years. I see the outline on the concrete ledge that supported a long flower box that we watered everyday throughout the summer and decorated for winter. I peek in the windows and sigh a little as I remember. I think of the magic that once was. The flowers, the gifts, the special holiday events, and the customers. In the main room still stands the cooler from the 1940’s. It is big and beautiful. So many good memories! The shop had served the community for 110 years before it closed in February 2019. That was a sad day for me. For a lot of people. It’s hard not to tear up while I stand here reminiscing. One day I will write a post about that magical place.

When I get to the post office I see it’s age too in the pillars and concrete steps. The words United States Post Office etched across the top of the building are almost eligible due to the weathering of time. That old building still has character.

So many places I could write about. And I will someday.

I treasured my walk to the post office. I thought of the old, old days and also of the days not-so-old. I stopped beneath a tree planted on the corner of Vine and Washington. It’s leaves and berries already shades of fall. I felt the coolish breeze and thought how wonderful it was to be there.

Walk to the post office whenever you can. Pay attention to the little things because the little things are most often the biggest and bestest things in life. ♥️

Andi