My mom, the late Melanie MacKenzie, was employed as a Mail Carrier* and as a Window Clerk for the North Adams, Massachusetts United States Postal Service (USPS) for 23 years. There were an assortment of memories gained during her tenure there. Among them were the friends she made. Another was the existing vast government bureaucracy USPS Employees encountered on a daily basis. Melanie’s employment put a roof over our heads and food on our table. As many of her former USPS Co-workers can attest to, her work ethic was among the best. She rarely called in sick and always showed up on time. However, it took me quite some time to appreciate the sacrifices she made during those years.
Fast forward to Spring 2021. Looking for employment, I decided to apply to the USPS. This would give me the chance to honor Melanie’s legacy. Not to mention I needed to start full time adulting. Something I had been running away from for years. One of my biggest fears-the boogyman hiding in the closet-was being able to (fully) live independently earning money to pay my own way in life.
Working for the USPS would initiate a time period of intense growth and happiness. Mistakes would be made along the way too. My employment would introduce me to the vast bureaucracy that Melanie and many of her colleagues had to endure. More importantly, working for the USPS would provide me with a ‘Backstage Pass’ per se to witness much needed epic changes.
*Noteworthy is Melanie became the first female carrier to serve in the North Adams, Massachusetts Post Office. She started her employment in 1980.
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