At the post office yesterday, I met a man that had worked in “The Mills”. The conversation started in the post office, which was not my regular post office. I had gone into the one on the East Side. That old community with the alphabet lettered streets. My mother’s friend Don had lived there. Anyway, that’s where I found myself in a post office with a group of people standing around talking. A rare thing in itself! The conversation was about age and retirement. I shared that I had been forced into retirement from a work place injury. I said that at first it was a terrible experience with surgeries and financial hardship but that now (ten years in) things were getting better. I told them how I now have bunch of little jobs, house/ pet sitting, driving folks to medical appointments and errand running The man asked how I found those jobs because he would love to do something similar. I said that I had started on social media announcing what I might do and then it was all word of mouth.
We happened to be leaving at the same time. Somehow we got on the subject of, what did you do when you were working? That’s when he told me that he had worked in, The Mills”. I said, oh yeah? My mother was a steel worker and president of local 65! He was so surprised!! He said, you have made my day!! She was the best, we called her, Sister Alice!
I got into my car and thought, that made MY day!! I miss you Sister Alice and it’s so comforting to know that you are remembered on the old East Side!
Spinster Life 