Agonizing over Stamps
I might have mentioned at some time that I am an overthinker. If there is something to stew over, I will do it. I am good at it. I do not necessarily enjoy it, but I am inclined to do this.
Today, I used up our very last stamp on a birthday card. I added GET STAMPS to my chore list. I was stunned to see only two people in line at the post office. My lucky day. And even luckier, the two people in front of me had easy purchases. No surly woman with a toy truck that needed to be sent to Detroit but she has no box and is unsure of the exact address. No man who wants to have his mail held for two weeks but not his wife's mail. Yes, they share the same name but he is going on a fishing trip to Canada and she is not going with him. Here's the thing: his wife works during the day and he works from home so he gets the mail. She has no idea that he subscribes to Playboy and sometimes gets "personal items" in the mail from Amazon and "others." This has actually happened in front of me before. I still wonder what happened to that marriage. Did she ever get the mail on Saturday? Was she ever home sick when some "personal items" were delivered from Amazon? I will never know. Maybe they are still happily married and she is still clueless.
Nope. Today, I sailed to the front of the line.
"I want three sheets of some interesting stamps," I told the cashier. He did not look like he wanted to be engaged too much.
"Like what?" he asked.
"Well," I said. "I dunno. Any suggestions? Any new ones out there that you think are interesting?"
He looked dully at me. For a long beat.
"No," he finally said.
Party pooper.
I glanced over at the stamp selections pinned to the bulletin board. Hmm. Ferns? Eastern tailed butterflies? Pick-up trucks? National Parks? Walt Disney villains? THAT sounded promising.
"How about Walt Disney villains?" I said.
He sighed deeply. Opened his drawer and swished a few things around.
"I don't see any," he finally said.
I sighed along with him. This chore had sounded kind of fun initially. I glanced again at the bulletin board.
"How about Star Trek and New Orleans?"
He rustled around again. Came up with both.
"With that be all?" He sounded so hopeful.
"No," I said, sorrowfully. "I need one more sheet. How about something simple like Peace or Love? Do you have any of those?"
He found some roses with the word PEACE on them. Held them up for me. I nodded and the transaction was over for him.
I paid with my credit card and as he bagged up my stamps, he perked up at the thought of being done with me.
"Hey, you have a great day," he said with a tiny bit of enthusiasm.
"I will surely try," I told him."I mean, who wouldn't have a nice day with a sheet of Star Trek stamps?"
He looked confused.
Oh, good lord. Forget it. You are no fun at all.
Today, I used up our very last stamp on a birthday card. I added GET STAMPS to my chore list. I was stunned to see only two people in line at the post office. My lucky day. And even luckier, the two people in front of me had easy purchases. No surly woman with a toy truck that needed to be sent to Detroit but she has no box and is unsure of the exact address. No man who wants to have his mail held for two weeks but not his wife's mail. Yes, they share the same name but he is going on a fishing trip to Canada and she is not going with him. Here's the thing: his wife works during the day and he works from home so he gets the mail. She has no idea that he subscribes to Playboy and sometimes gets "personal items" in the mail from Amazon and "others." This has actually happened in front of me before. I still wonder what happened to that marriage. Did she ever get the mail on Saturday? Was she ever home sick when some "personal items" were delivered from Amazon? I will never know. Maybe they are still happily married and she is still clueless.
Nope. Today, I sailed to the front of the line.
"I want three sheets of some interesting stamps," I told the cashier. He did not look like he wanted to be engaged too much.
"Like what?" he asked.
"Well," I said. "I dunno. Any suggestions? Any new ones out there that you think are interesting?"
He looked dully at me. For a long beat.
"No," he finally said.
Party pooper.
I glanced over at the stamp selections pinned to the bulletin board. Hmm. Ferns? Eastern tailed butterflies? Pick-up trucks? National Parks? Walt Disney villains? THAT sounded promising.
"How about Walt Disney villains?" I said.
He sighed deeply. Opened his drawer and swished a few things around.
"I don't see any," he finally said.
I sighed along with him. This chore had sounded kind of fun initially. I glanced again at the bulletin board.
"How about Star Trek and New Orleans?"
He rustled around again. Came up with both.
"With that be all?" He sounded so hopeful.
"No," I said, sorrowfully. "I need one more sheet. How about something simple like Peace or Love? Do you have any of those?"
He found some roses with the word PEACE on them. Held them up for me. I nodded and the transaction was over for him.
I paid with my credit card and as he bagged up my stamps, he perked up at the thought of being done with me.
"Hey, you have a great day," he said with a tiny bit of enthusiasm.
"I will surely try," I told him."I mean, who wouldn't have a nice day with a sheet of Star Trek stamps?"
He looked confused.
Oh, good lord. Forget it. You are no fun at all.
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