CHAPTER 72
THE POST MASTER
In the good old days of the post, we had often collected letters at our post office mailbox or our homes. When a postmaster came across our neighborhood on his old rickety bicycle or exalted motorcycle in search of a home address, we often followed behind him. Letters were not for kids of course, but who cared. We would ask the postmaster, if he had any letter for us and he would give a grim smile, his spectacles falling off his eyes as he gazed at us. No, he would say. Can you read a letter? He would ask. Off course, we can, we would respond like wagged dogs hoping he would hand us one. He would turn to us and say, well, this letter is not for you, it is for some other person, when yours comes, I would let you have it. Then he would ride away to another destination.
Later in life, I began to receive mails and send mails too and observed that same saying of the postmaster, “this letter is not for you, it is for some other person, when yours comes I would let you have it.” It is amazing how we want what should be some other persons. Humans trail towards envy building in their mind a desire to have what does not belong to them. Every letter in the hands of the postmaster goes to a particular person or group of persons to whom it is meant. The letter writer has written the person’s name who should receive it. It is great to have a good desire, but when we seek for, and choose to find pleasure in some other persons parcel, it is stealing.
The process of writing a letter could be tedious and hardwork especially when it is for an official purpose, where you have to polish the grammar and ensure it is readable and understood by the reader at the other end. You have to take your time to choose the right words, removing ambiguity and keeping the language simple. Like the letter writing process, life could be especially challenging and you really have to work hard to make ends meet. The goal is to get to the top of life’s ladder. As much as you are selecting your steps, you do have to take some care making sure they are the right steps.
The conclusion of the letter writing process does not mean its uhuru. You have to place the letter in an envelope. The envelope is the protection our letter piece gets. Security is very vital to our personal success. As you strive towards the top, you do not want robbers ridding you of your hard-earned labor. You want to have the things you have labored. While the police and other security agents are about their duty, the first security is you. The letter writer gets an envelope. You have to give yourself some cover too. Take precautions like not staying outdoors at night, watching for, and reporting unknown persons lurking around the neighborhood to security agents. If you do have enough money, you can go for insurance cover.
Once the letter finds its place in the envelope, you have to visit the post office and get a stamp. The stamp is the cost for transmitting the letter. Every service has a price; every achievement comes with great price. You should be ready to pay down for any service rendered you. Off course, nothing good comes free.
The post office transmits the letter. It is their responsibility to ensure the letter reaches the receiver. At this point, the sender has done his part of the bargain. He now hopes that the letter gets there. Hope is one trait that real time achievers have. They hope for the best and believe their best is good enough. Sometimes hope may be dashed. This happens sometimes when a letter fails to get through to the other person due to some missed steps in the post office. It could be lost on transit or delays to get to its destination. This could be depressing especially if the letter is urgent. While we often pray for smooth sailing, what happens when things get wrong? You have to accept the challenge and get going.
Once the letter gets to the mailbox of the receiver, it is not just enough. The receiver has to open it, read, and comprehend. Opportunities are like received letters. They are cloaked in some covering. You have to uncover the cloak. Remember, diamonds do not shine in their raw form; they have to be cut to shine.
When next you see a postmaster, life means so much more than just the letter.