inner space

one thing i did not know before becoming a mailgirl
was that while you may own your home
and therefore the mailbox that came along with it,
you do not own
the space inside the mailbox.
that space is the property of the USPS.
that's why, technically, nobody but us can put advertising
or any other type of notice inside your mailbox.

today a mailpal of mine told me a story about Steve,
a mailman that was covering for the regular during the holiday
season. the regular told steve that if he picked up any food or booze
he could keep it for himself as long as he wrote down the address and description of the gift
so a proper thank you note could be written.
steve agreed to that arrangement.
the next time steve was on the route he opened a box and was
delighted to see a small apple pie inside the box.
he picked it up and took note of the address, then went back to his truck and quickly proceeded to dig into it.
only after devouring the whole thing did he see the attached tag.
it was then he realized that he had inadvertently eaten a pie that one neighbor,
in an act of holiday kindness had
made for another neighbor and left safely in their mailbox.

guess they never heard that thing about the PO owning the space in the box either.
wonder what that thank you note said!