Last week my wife’s daughter had a package delivery stolen from in front of her apartment door. This morning, I went to our community mailbox to send a postcard and all twenty-five boxes were standing open and completely empty. If I had gone any earlier that postcard would have never been delivered. It looked like someone had taken a crowbar to the doors. I’m confused through why they would do this on a Monday morning, after no mail delivery on Sunday. In my opinion, it looks like companies like Amazon, Federal Express, and the UPS have created a major problem in expanding home delivery services. I do not recall a time in history where there were so many porch bandits and mailbox thieves. Obviously, they are also what I would call “timing stupid.” 

I have admitted to being a “mailbox monitor” (See Post #405), comparing a trip to the mailbox with a treasure hunt. You never know what you’re going to find in there – good or bad? This is what makes for some good retirement excitement. It also gives me justification to keep an eye on when the mail-person arrives. Lately, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the return of a self-addressed stamped envelope that I sent to my potential birth mother’s son. It’s been several weeks since the certified letter that I sent was accepted (See Post #397 and other stories throughout the “Diary of an Adoptee” category on this blog.) It would be a tragedy if that letter had been stolen, since I would never know if the effort had been made to reply. I also had just gotten back last night from skiing and rescued several days of mail before the thief struck this morning. I had some valuable baseball cards as part of that delivery and some 1099 tax information that could have been stolen. My neighbors might not have been so lucky, if they had mailed items last night, or forgot to pick up their Saturday mail. Also, until the boxes are repaired, it will be a 21 mile drive to our Post Office, so my daily treasure hunt will turn into more of an inconvenient adventure.

Package thieves probably experience the same sense of “mailbox” excitement that I do, in unwrapping mystery packages, opening checks, or finding cash like I sent to my grand kids for Valentine’s Day. It’s like Christmas morning for them as they sort through the mail and packages they’ve taken. I may need to reevaluate my confidence in these delivery services, since they are now being stalked by thieves as they make their daily drop-offs. Most of my friends do not even have a locked mailbox to even modestly “protect” their valuable mail. Look for big changes in the delivery business. As for me, I’ll keep you “posted” on whether or not I hear from my birth mother’s family, or if I find a more secure way to guard my mail.