However, the day after most of the snow came down, I saw that there were footsteps in the snow on the walkway. There was mail in the mailbox. I didn’t see it firsthand, but it was clear the mailman came and delivered mail, even when schools were closed and most government buildings were also closed. He was pretty much the only person I knew working that day outside the people who work at the grocery store and bus drivers. It reminded me of the peak of COVID lockdowns when many of us could stay home, but essential workers still needed to work and put themselves at risk.
We only moved to our house two years ago, but our mailman has been delivering mail in the area for a long time. He knows all of my neighbors by name. In fact, I have a neighbor whose home looks like it has been deserted and that has a broken window. Our mailman told me about the person’s situation: he is an elderly person with dementia who had to move into a nursing home, and I understood and became less judgmental about their home upkeep. During the school year, I actually rarely see the mailman because I’m not home myself, but I have had several friendly conversations with him in the summer or in times where my work schedule isn’t as hectic.
While I was looking at the footsteps in the snow, I felt like a pretty terrible person. I made this man step through several inches of snow to just deliver my mail. He had to do the same for the neighbor who deserted their home, and the other neighbor who also didn’t shovel their walkway. He could have slipped and fallen, and it would have been completely my fault. The mailman doesn’t strike me as the overly litigious type, but he most certainly could have had a strong claim if he did slip.