A Blog-worthy Trip to the Post Office

For several weeks now, some of my biggest blogging friends have been urging me to start blogging on a regular basis. They claim that my day-to-day life experiences are extremely blog-worthy. I agreed with them until last week when I sat down to try to whip out a blog. I sat and stared at a blank page and wondered how my blogger pals managed to come up with such interesting stories. Today I was reminded that you don't come up with the stories. The stories will find you...

Every trip to the Norman Post Office is an experience in itself. Any Norman resident can attest to that. Today was no exception. And before I get any further, let me say that there are few things in this world I hate more than going to the Norman Post Office. If it were not something I'm forced to do for work, I would probably PAY someone to go for me. With that in mind, let's carry on.Today I put off going to the P.O. until later in the afternoon. Something else that Norman residents can attest to is a noticeable increase in traffic on Friday afternoons. I sat at the crowded red light on Porter with my windows down enjoying the beautiful weather as I waited to inch down the road. I noticed a man standing at the corner of the intersection and a man in a motorized wheel-chair next to him. I've seen the man in the wheel-chair around the downtown Norman area. He was easily recognizable by the American flag he had attached to the bag of his chair. The two men waited for the light to turn so that they could walk across the intersection. For some reason, I kept watching the man in the wheelchair. His head was hung low and he seemed slightly out of it. Suddenly he turned his wheelchair in one wide circle and then ran the front tire off of the curb. The curb was high enough that it tilted the wheelchair forward and his frail body fell out of the chair. He smacked the street and laid there like a ragdoll. The man standing next to him had his back turned and did not notice the man in the street for several seconds. During this time, several people jumped out of the cars which were stopped at red lights. A crowd gathered around the man who was laying completely still. Slowly they picked him up and put him back in his chair. During this time, every single car at each light was stopped and all eyes were on the crowd. Finally the group of people around the man in the wheelchair began to break up and the friend began pushing the wheelchair across the street. It was the most disturbing thing I'd seen in a while and all I could do was stare with my mouth hanging open and my hands covering my cheeks. It did do my heart good to see so many people readily jump from their cars and help a stranger. It made me worry, though, that I'm a closet rubber-necker who needs to start jumping to help out more.

After driving away from that strange scene, what did I come upon but the lovely train that seems to appear just when you've got places to be. Another facet of Norman that no resident here can ignore. I decided to open the sunroof, roll down the windows, and turn up the radio and relax a little. The sunshine was a much-needed addition to the warm weather and I felt at ease.

Until I got in line at the Norman Post Office. Who gets behind me? Two Dungeons and Dragons fanatics. I'm not saying I have a problem with you wanting to become a Level 5 Dragon Slayer, but believe me...there are people who DON'T want to hear about it. I had to stand in line for 10 minutes listening to them talk about their respective levels. Then they talked about how Post Office glass is bullet-resistant, which is NOT the same as bullet-PROOF. Apparently not even water is bullet-proof because at a certain velocity...You get it? That was my trip to the Post Office. It was a simple task. Take four certified letters, get them mailed, return to my office. No easy job for me on this particular Friday. But no blog comes easily, right?