Monday, March 24, 2008

Vocational Lust



Downtown, I sat grading a stack of essays written in the waning moments of procrastinative opportunity. I will hand them back with notes and suggestions for the future, and the students will glance at the tallied score and toss them in the trash on the way out of class. I spied a mailman across the street, a block away from the bank thermometer that read 76 degrees. He wore blue uniform shorts, running shoes, a healthy tan, and he walked with purpose. He carried packages that contained items the recipients had been dreaming about for a week and letters from geographically separated lovers that smelled like perfume. Children and the elderly alike anticipated his arrival. At 5:00 the mailman would head home and read a book, watch a baseball game, listen to a record while lying on his back, view a movie with his wife's head on his shoulder, or all of the above without feeling guilty about not working. At that moment, I thought he might have the greatest job in the world.

6 comments:

Brian Bakeshow said...

Ah yes, the perfect job. What is the "perfect" job anyway? I suppose it depends on the person.

My idea of a perfect profession you might ask? Well, let's examine some of the possibilities:

garbage man? possibly; car mechanic? no way; dog walker? depends on what kind of dog(s); bouncer? too small; casino dealer? nope; politician? sounds intriguing; tour guide in the jungle? how exotic; plumber? absolutely not; Wall Street analyst? not if we are in a recession.

So, my options are limited. Unfortunately, no other jobs come to mind at the moment. I am sure it will all work out for me in the end. Until then, I will remain dedicated to wooing the crowds with my acrobatic stunts.

Val. said...

that's a good picture. you should be a postman in rural Ireland or somewheres, I'm sure Jenny wouldn't mind moving. :)

Adrian Martinez said...

i was just thinking about becoming a mailman. i think i would like it.

however, i already applied to be a teacher. im waiting to hear back from them.

(by the way, i loved the way you wrote this).

TW said...

I always thought it would be a good job too...probably from my Mail Boxes etc. experience. When I was a kid I was intrigued as to why they had cars that you could drive on the other side. But people get pretty sensitive when it comes to their mail. I think being a mechanic is my dream job now.

Lauren S. said...

eh. they have to work saturdays.

la gloria, la gloria, la gloria said...

I'm going to live on the ocean. You can bring me my mail and visit while we fish.