REFLECTIONS

I sit at my table, reflecting

On many things, including

The bright light of the sun

Reflecting off the inland sea

I dream of a time when I

Was young and delivered

The daily newspaper

At five in the morning

For five years. I knew my

Customers well and could

Tell when they were hurting

Or doing well. I knew when

alcohol was involved or when

couples were not getting along

many times, I was told to come

back later when I went to collect

the forty-five cents for the week.

at Christmastime, I was rewarded

with generous tips from some

and almost nothing from others

one of my non-paying customers

moved to Ada and was still up

to non-paying until I went to

using the charge cards only and

was told that the only reason he

came to me because he could

get what he wanted and pay only

when he felt he had enough money.

A few others didn’t like it but it

Saved me about three hours on

Sunday afternoons writing up bills

Which I hoped would be paid.

Soon it was a nonissue. That was

about the time the insurance companies

stepped and made-up rules we had

to follow, limiting my discretion in

how much I could dispense while

they offered three times the amount 

for the same copay if the customer

would order through the mail. This

of course, affected business and many

stores closed. We made it through.

Stanski

May 22, 2023, ^