Dear United States Postal Service,

I am writing to thank you for helping me to use my mind and get fit. As the mom of a preschooler and an infant, I thought I expend all the energy I possibly have taking care of the two of them. You proved me wrong and showed me that I in fact had (at least before my last visit) more energy than I thought. How did you do that? By not having a drive-through window.

In a day and age where everything is about convenience, it's great to know that there's an old-fashioned business where tradition means everything. Good for you for not caving in and going with the flow. Sure, I thought all my creativity had been zapped earlier this week when I visited you, but you proved me wrong. How else would I have been able to manage to put my infant in his front carrier, bribe my preschooler to listen, and put the packages I needed to mail in my stroller all so I could get in to your place of business? I especially liked the bonus round that you threw me: no handicapped accessibility. Trying to maneuver my stroller filled with packages and my preschooler, while my infant was blocking my view, allowed me to expand my mind as I yanked the door open with my finger tips and wedged the stroller into the door to allow space for my children and me to use. I exercised my fingers while you saved electricity by not installing automatic doors.

I also have to thank you because you did not give in to the demands of the masses. Despite the fact that there was a line out the door, you calmly just kept one window open. Other patrons could see that there were more mail people in back, but you did not let them rattle you. No, you stuck to your guns and just kept one window open. Patience is a virtue, and you are clearly committed to instilling virtue in all of your customers.

Of course, my gratitude is not just for what you do directly, but also for what others do when using your facilities. Lately it seems like the big trend in society is to focus on "I". It makes me so happy to see that the fellow patrons have a problem with this trend. Thank goodness they don't hold the door open for me or allow me to jump in front of them in line when both kids are screaming bloody murder because that would send the message to my children that people don't have to wait their turn in line or that they're not capable of opening the doors for themselves. Not only can you buy cool stamps at the post office, but you can get your daily dose of old fashioned values too! If you were to have a drive-through window, my children and I wouldn't be able to interact with the patrons and my kids would never learn these valuable lessons. My children would also be less healthy if not for the opportunity to wait around the Post Office. My preschooler has built up a tremendous immune system from licking the floor while waiting on line. It's thanks to you that he only had two colds last year.

In a time where fast food restaurants are encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle, your commitment to ensuring that your patrons exercise is truly commendable. Sure, the walk from the parking lot to the door isn't that far, but you compensate for the short distance by adding in the different angles I have to maneuver the stroller to get through the alleged handicapped entry. The fact that the handicapped-accessible ramps tend to be on a different side of the building from the handicapped parking spaces (in fact a post office two towns over that was built in 2003 has this exact set up), is just an added bonus. I wish you would more proudly display the awards you have surely earned from those who enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Yes, I know that I can get free priority express envelopes from you and print out the postage at home, but thankfully if I want to send something that's not priority mail I can come to your fine establishment. The only thing that does concern me is that I think you're becoming a little too trendy with this whole internet business. Where does your heart lie? You've had a great record of not conforming. In fact, I was hoping that we could go back to the days of the Pony Express. Better yet, we could have a walking express where different people in our town could sign up for different days.

All, in all I would like to thank you dear United States Postal Service for not putting in a drive-through window. What's convenience when we're dealing with tradition and heart disease?
Sincerely,
Alex Elliot
Flexible Parent

P.S. Thanks Kari for sharing your couch. Don't worry. I haven't left any formula stains on it. You weren't kidding when you said it was comfy. I don't want to get up. However, I need to get back to my own blog, and based on the letter describing your move experiences, I think I am going to drive myself.

I am a professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a toddler and an infant. If you enjoyed my letter, please feel free to visit me again at Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting, which is written for those of us who didn't get an instruction manual with our babies and for whom parenting hasn't always gone as planned. On a more serious note the blog is about supporting a woman's ability to make her own choices about parenting including the choice, for whatever reason, not to breastfeed.

Click here to check out the other open letters this month, and to get more info on the blog exchange.