Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2017

71 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestofMP.com feature arrive just in time for the yuletide festivities. Across the country, men and women working for various delivery companies are going the extra mile (or two) from the week of Thanksgiving to the week after Christmas – and sometimes longer. Their days start early and their nights end late, while their bodies ache from the continuous actions of lifting, walking and carrying every package our hearts desire, large or small. Yet the employees – from the likes of the United States Postal Service, FedEx and United Parcel Service – are often forgotten in the everyday hustle and bustle of life during the holiday season. But as our jobs as consumers get easier, their delivery days get longer and fuller. Their hard work and dedication to their communities is often chalked up to “out of sight, out of mind” until a package is late or a signature is required. For some companies, the influx of deliveries doesn’t necessarily mean more hands available to help, resulting in incredibly regimented delivery times, GPS tracking and a fair share of micro-managing from the top. The job isn’t as simple as loading a few lightweight packages into a truck and stopping here or there to drop a letter in a mailbox or leave a box by the door. Instead, the demanding schedule calls for pre-emptive thinking on the road and fast decision-making skills to assess the environment for efficiency and speed. Everything is timed, leaving most delivery drivers with three minutes per strategic stop to discern the best course of action, often in incredibly crowded areas. Yet when I reached out to the three biggest shipping companies in the Charleston area, I was pleasantly surprised to hear nothing but humble gratitude and genuine passion for the job that they get to do every single day – even while deep in the holiday trenches. Are the 12+ hour days tiring? Of course. Do they miss celebrations with their own families at times? Some do. But more than anything, the men and women who have been running the same routes for years on end are committed to the families up and down the roads they’re assigned to. Over time, they have formed relationships that make every moment worth it.