Our pug, Zelda, is stinkin' adorable. If you don't believe me, check out this post. Her cuteness has won over many people, including my parents, Brian's parents, our sisters, and most importantly to Zelda, our mail lady.
Every day our mail lady delivers our mail to the slot in our coat closet. On the way, she walks by the living room window and greets Zelda. She calls her cutie and says hello while Zelda barks back. The mail lady puts our mail in the slot, but first, she slides a milk bone in the slot for Zelda. She has given Zelda a milk bone every day without fail for months.
Zelda has learned over time that the person who calls her cutie gives her a milk bone. She hears the mail lady come and runs to the coat closet door. If it's open, she walks into the closet and grabs the bone out of the slot, sometimes destroying our mail in the process. If the door is shut, she waits until we get home and then begs by the door for us to open it so she can get her daily milk bone.
Not only does Zelda retrieve her milk bone every day from the mail slot, but she also has developed a funny habit. Some days when she isn't hungry, she will hide or bury the bone somewhere, usually under blankets in our bed, on the couch or the spare bedroom. The picture above is a bone she hid in our bed. Later in the day, Zelda will uncover the bone and eat it. Zelda's adventures with milk bones are fun to observe and make us laugh.
Brian and I agree it's very nice of the mail lady to give our dog a milk bone every day. Although it may be a small act of kindness, it's unnecessary and we are grateful for a mail lady who loves our dog. Because of this, we have casually mentioned picking up a gift card to Starbucks or somewhere for our mail lady as a sign of our appreciation. Unfortunately, Brian and I never remember our idea at the right moment and so far we have failed to follow through on our idea.
This week Zelda and I noticed our mail slot was missing something important - the milk bones! And then I saw we had a different mail person this week. Zelda and I hope our regular mail lady is simply on vacation. But, at the moment, we have no idea if her route was switched or if she is taking time off.
Why am I telling you this ridiculous story? Because if our regular mail lady doesn't return, Zelda and I will be upset. Zelda will be upset at the lack of milk bones. But, I will be upset at myself for never learning my mail lady's name. I will be upset for not following through and showing her appreciation for treating my dog so well.
The truth is I don't know my mail lady's story or much about her. But, I do know small acts of kindness can go a long way. They did for Zelda and I. And I know I could have made her day pretty easily, but I might have missed the opportunity to make someone smile. And that's sad.
So today I encourage you to remember the moral of the milk bone story:
Do Something Nice Before Time Runs Out