Snapshot profile of a mail carrier

At 7:15 each morning, Nancy Workman can be found preparing the mail she is to deliver later on in the day.

After about three hours of sorting, Workman begins the infamous portion of her job, hand-delivering the mail to each and every house in her walking rout of approximately 23 square miles, which amounts to about 12 miles logged each day.

“I love meeting people on my route and getting to know them,” she said.

Her compassion for the homes and people on her route proved true when Workman once helped notify officials after she noticed the mail piling up outside one of the homes.

“I didn’t want to overreact,” she said. “But then I noticed the front door of his house. His screen was covered with flies. I went next door and asked the man’s neighbors to call the police. The police discovered that the middle-aged man had died of a heart attack several days ago.”

Events like that do cause an ill effect among anyone, but Workman still continues on her route, walking along from home to home.

Not only are the people and relationships important to Walkman, but so is the walking.

“Most letter carriers prefer driving routes, but driving just never appealed to me,” she said. “Walking is tremendous medicine, as it’s a great time for reflection.”

Through rain, or snow, no matter what lays ahead, Workman still will trod and be diligent about making sure her job is completed, and done so with a smile on her face.

Each day before coming, Workman watches the weather forecast so she knows what to expect while on her daily journey.

“Once you’re out there, you have no shelter,” said Workman. “There’s no place you can hide.”

Even though Workman loves the outdoors and the freedom she feels, other hazards cross her path every now and then that slightly infringe upon her passion.

“Dog poop can really ruin your day,” she said.

Not only can the remnants of these creatures, but they themselves, put a damper on the mail delivery. For this reason Workman keeps a can of dog mace in her dusty blue mailbag, just in case.

No matter what pitfalls come from being a mail carrier, they are not enough to stop Workman, ever.

“I really do love this job,” she said. “I plan to keep delivering the mail until I can’t walk anymore.”