Attachments to People I Don't Even Really Know...

Today my boss told Karen and I some very sad news. At first it didn't seem all that sad until we realized who he was talking about...

We have a lot of older customers who frequent Mail Services. This is probably due to several things. The number one reason is probably because most of them are so feeble they couldn't manage to stand in line at a regular post office. (There is one old man who comes in that I can never figure out how he walks he is so hunched over.) Another reason is we are a lot nicer than government employees (hi, have you ever BEEN to a normal post office- maybe it's just my bad luck but they are always so MEAN to me! You feel like you've inconvenienced them by providing them business). Another reason older people love us is because they can come by and drop off their packages to the MTC (all for grandchildren I assure you). Anyway, the fact is these elderly men and women are customers that the secretaries see all the time. I used to work at the front desk and even though I didn't know all of their names I got to know them very well. There is the adorable old man who gives out business cards that say "SMILE - you can keep the card, but please, return the smile" (I have dozens of these things) and always repeats the price in Spanish, there is the little old man who can never understand why we don't keep records of every letter we send out because his letter didn't arrive at its destination and he needs to prove he sent it, there is the little old lady that is so blind her daughter puts her finger on the line she has to sign on after we swiper her credit card (but she always insists on signing herself), and along with several others there is my most favorite customer of all. Until today I didn't even know her name but she has always been my favorite out of all the Mail Services regulars.

She is a petite little lady with white poofy hair and little round spectacles. She always calls you "honey" or "dear" when you are helping her, but not in a way that seems funny. It always seems like you've known her forever and it's perfectly normal for her to refer to you with endearing terms. She always talks to you about things she's been doing with her grandkids - like playing "Sorry!" with her grandson who always wins. And she faithfully brings all her grandchildren packages when they're in the MTC (even when she forgets to put the eggs in the cookies, lol she still sends them off). Anyway, this lady is adorable, and even though I really know nothing about her I guess I've managed to form an attachment to her. Today Lane told us her husband passed away. Karen and I were so heart-broken for her because we know she probably feels sad and that makes us sad... I just find it so interesting that without really knowing someone, you can get to know them. You can care about them even if you don't know their name.