Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds —Motto of the Postal Service
There’s a lot of reciprocal loving kindness going down on the west side of town on Garret the Mailman’s route from Perkins, over past Pomolita, up on Maple, by the golf course and around Todd Grove.
Garret Gary has been carrying the mail for 38 years, first in Petaluma and then for the last 25 on the same route in Ukiah, doing what he does, delivering letters and parcels to 450 homes 200 days throughout the year.
“My route is my hood, my territory, to protect, to keep it safe for the kids—watch for speeding cars, calm arguments, deter gang fights. It’s my joy to protect this area. I know this neighborhood as well, if not better, than the people who live here.”
He knows when something is amiss, when somebody needs attention or might even need a hug.
He has watched kids grow up, seen them go away and return home and get married; makes sure garage doors are closed; looks out for leaky hoses; helps people find homes; and makes sure packages are delivered to secure areas.
But most importantly Garret generates a great deal of care, concern, compassion and kindness to all those he encounters.
He has been delivering Leslie Kirkpatrick’s mail for as long as she can remember, going back decades.
“He’s doing his thing along his route, connecting with people, offering assistance, speaking kind words. Everyone I know likes Garret. By nature, and by principal, he is helpful to people in a way that goes above and beyond.
“In a country that is so divided, Garret is a person who brings things together,” she says.
His job appears to be a vehicle for who he is and what he does; he just happens to be a mailman… sort of like Clark Kent who, disguised as a mild-mannered reporter, is really Superman.
The buzz is coming from Nextdoor—the neighborhood hub for trusted connections and the exchange of helpful information, goods, and services—and these are only a handful of the over 70 comments recently posted extolling his virtues: Garret is the best; Garret has been a huge help to us for many years through 3 different homes in his area; Garrett is a hero—he voluntarily helped with no other reason than for the sake of goodness and kindness. I hope he sees what good vibes his actions have had and may it ripple out from all of us who are reading this; Big shout out to Garret, mail carrier hero.
Linda Myers, not on his route, received a notification that an expected package had been left on her front door; however, it wasn’t there nor did the neighbors have it. On her way to deliver a magazine that was delivered to her in error (hoping there was a connection), she ran into Garret and explained about the missing package and the wayward magazine.
(From these posts, Garret Day was born—a way to express gratitude and appreciation for him in any way people see fit—gifts, food, cards of appreciation.)
After driving the magazine to its recipient, Garret saw that the package was not there. He made some phone calls; searched Linda’s yard; talked with the new carrier who had apparently made the error; found the package at a different location; drove there to pick it up; and brought it back to Linda.
“He was probably at least half an hour late in getting home that night; I’m so grateful to him. Thank you, Garret for helping out both the rookie carrier and a postal patron who’s not even on your route. You made my day!”
Tony Wong, Ukiah Post Office’s Supervisor of Customer Services, says it wasn’t until he went out on the street with Garret one day, that he realized what a mail carrier meant to a community—growing up in the Bay Area, Wong had never known anyone who had delivered for so long on one route.
“He not only delivered the mail, but watched and helped individuals on the route; played with kids and gave advice to teenagers. Kids loved him and would scream his name.
“During Christmas, Garret would depart the office to his route, parcels in tow—almost like Santa—and say, ‘this is what we do.’
“I’ve always admired that about him and his attitude towards his work. No matter how long the day might be, he would keep his head down and keep walking.”
Garret says he is doing what he was taught to do—give service.
“Anything I’ve done, I’ve gotten back ten-fold; it’s been a two-way street; my customers have taken care of me. I apreciate them as much as they appreciate me—every day.”
When they see him working late, they bring him dinner; knowing that he lives he Laytonville, they have offered him a bed for the night.
The pandemic has affected him deeply, no longer being able to give hugs or share a handful of peanuts with kids at Todd Grove where he has taken his lunch, regularly, every day for the past 25 years.
He says this year, as a mail carrier has been the roughest and toughest he has ever experienced. The election shenanigans, he says, are a regular thing, no big deal, just business as usual, but with COVID and the enormous amount of Amazon parcels, mail order business like he has never seen, all exacerbated by the holiday season, mail carriers are tapped out as a group, like never before.
They are short-handed, working super long hours, some doing it 7 days a week with the young carriers taking the brunt of it, working the hardest job in the office.
“The younger carriers need to be acknowledged,” he says. “I know where I’m going every day and I’m struggling but they are doing different routes, split shifts, bouncing all over.”
He gets home at 10 p.m. or later; gets up at 4 a.m. to arrive at work at 6 a.m. and then does it again.
He recommends getting packages ordered now giving carriers the chance to get everything delivered by Christmas morning.
“We’re all struggling right now and everybody is tired; please be patient.”
