Phone Books! Get Your Phone Books Here!

OK, so delivering phone books is not like selling newspapers.  It's more of the UPS meets everybody's favorite solicitor, if there's such a thing as a favorite door-to-door purveyor of things you don't want.  A phone book deliverer is certainly not the latter, but it seems to be how many people view such a person.  How do I know?  Because it's what I did for a couple of weeks earlier this summer, delivering phone books, that is, not watching people deliver them.

This was not my favorite job and it's certainly not something I will be doing again anytime soon.  It's a job that falls in the same category as fast food employee, another job I've done and don't have any inclination to do again. Despite the fact that July is a terrible month to walk around neighborhoods carrying a stack of books neatly wrapped in plastic bags, there are things to be gained from this experience besides a humble paycheck.  While there are many more, here's just two reasons delivering phone books is a job every college graduate should try:

1. It'll make for a great story one day.  When I first walked in for orientation, I got the impression the guy leading it didn't think I would actually be able to do it, and to be honest, I think I, myself, am surprised I managed to follow through with it.  Note, this job is not as easy as it sounds.  But you know what, it'll be fun to tell the kids and grandkids that I did something few people do.

   2. You learn the streets.  Spending so much time with a Google map trying to make sure you know This Street from This Place and This Circle and also that That Avenue starts here and breaks for a couple of blocks before resuming, means you become very familiar with the neighborhood you're delivering in.  I had the privilege of delivering some of the routes out where I live, so last week when I had to go pick something up across the way, I was able to jump in the car and drive over without looking at a map.  While I may never  again be in some of the areas I delivered to, I gained some valuable insight into how to navigate unfamiliar neighborhoods, some useful knowledge indeed when eventually moving to an unfamiliar city.