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My mail carrier set me straight about something I'd been doing for 20 years

I was chatting with Darlene, our mail carrier in Boise, while she delivered packages last Tuesday. She mentioned she always puts the flag up on her mailbox before dropping letters in, and I told her I'd never bothered doing that. She looked at me funny and explained that flag tells her there's outgoing mail so she doesn't waste time stopping at empty boxes. It hit me different because I'd been making her job harder for two decades without even realizing it. Anybody else have a small conversation that made you change a basic habit?
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jamesm38
jamesm3816d ago
Twenty years and you never once wondered what that little red flag was for?
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robinson.hannah
Our mailman finally told me last month that the yellow flag on the box means outgoing mail.
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the_faith
the_faith16d agoTop Commenter
Gotta say I had the same kind of moment a few years back... I'd been leaving my recycle bins out way too long after pickup day 'cause I figured it didn't matter. Then this nice sanitation worker named Marcus told me it actually slows down the whole route when bins stay out blocking the alley. Felt like a total jerk realizing I'd been making someone's job harder for no reason. Sometimes you just don't think about how little things add up for other people...
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