A Rural Year, 2/27/10: A Little Walking Won’t Kill You

I have never actually measured the distance from the house to the mailbox, but figure it’s a little more than a quarter mile. Ordinarily it’s a pleasant walk up and back, and occasionally there’s even something interesting inside the box.  When you’re a freelancer with no regular income, the mailbox can be your best friend.

Today, though, I’m suffering from the beginnings of what I hope will be a mild cold.  Sore throat, chills, brain stuffed with gauze.  Still, the mailbox beckoned, as did clean-up duties in the corral.  A few minutes ago, shortly before 3 pm, I forced myself out the door and to the corral, then for the walk up to the paved road, where the mailbox stands.

There’s a storm blowing in. The wind isn’t punishing, but it’s constant.  The sky is an unbroken mass of clouds, like molten lead poured into a mold with only a few irregularities.  Birds have taken refuge, horses are hiding in barns, even the neighbor dogs have sought out cover somewhere.

I made the trek only to find that the outgoing mail was still sitting in the box.  I looked at the board between box and post, that I had to install to make our oversized mailbox work on the existing post.  It’s splitting and will have to be replaced, but not today.  I walked back.

As soon as I got through the gate, a car came over the hill toward us.  The weekend mail carrier. 

Back up to the road, this time to pick up two magazines and a catalog.  At least there were no bills in it.  Days when the walk is less than pleasant and all I find are bills, it’s like the mailbox is insulting me.

Under ordinary circumstances, a little extra walking, for someone with a life as sedentary as a writer’s, is not at all a bad thing.

Today, though, wasn’t the day for it.

I think I’ll go back to bed again.

Comments

[Lisa]

I like your mailbox.
I always seem suprised by the sheer quantity of things that get mailed to you. It is quite a pleasant walk, but I suppose feeling a bit under the weather puts a damper on the stroll...

[Jeff Mariotte]

Our regular mail guy, Mel, was very pleased when we got the oversized box installed...