Jon Matson, a postman, chose to cheer himself and his folks during this hard time of Coronavirus by dressing flamboyant costumes. Amazing, right?
This-39-year-old postman from West Boldon, United Kingdom, does his deliveries for his neighborhood. As the Covd-19 outbreaks all over the world, this man tries to cheer up everyone. He states that his new costumes make him happy, too.
“I’ve been a postman for just over 4 years. I was a bus driver before this, so it’s a total change in direction but I absolutely love the job,” Matson told Bored Panda. “I love being out in the fresh air and meeting people.”
This cheerful person has been doing his job for 2 years. So, he knows his customers well. “They’re fantastic people,” he commented. “I’m lucky to deliver in the same area where I live, so a lot of them are my neighbors and some are friends.”
Jon’s routine before the outbreak was arriving at his delivery office, sorting his mails in order and load them to the van. “We work in pairs from a small van. We would drive to the start of our duty and work away from the van in a circle back again then move to the next area. We would then meet for dinner before moving to the second half of the duty. I enjoyed chatting with customers and even called in on some to check on them.”
Unfortunately, because of the Covid-19 breakout, Jon’s daily routine faced many changes. “Now I can’t go to the office, this is to minimize contact and stick to social-distancing,” he explained. “Paul, my work partner, has to go in and prepare all of the mail on his own and load up the van. He drives to my house and drops my bags off for me and I have to work from there using a bag trolley.”
“It feels a little lonely this way as I’m used to seeing him each time we move to a new area, sharing jokes and laughs. It’s also really hard not being able to call in on my customers or stand and chat,” Jon said. “I still see them and talk from a distance but it feels far less personal. Because I’ve gotten to know my customers on a personal level, I’ve noticed the change since the lockdown and how it’s affecting them.”
How on earth did he get these costumes? Well, it’s a habit of Jon to participate in the Boxing Day Dip, a charity event that holds in every year. For this, people dress in fancy dress swims in the North Sea.
Thanks to this, he owns a few outfits screaming to be worn again. And then, he asked the manager for permission for this mesmerizing idea to make people happy and less stressed.
“He agreed and after day one as a cheerleader, the reception was phenomenal,” Matson said. “I figured I’d do it again the next day … and the reaction was even better. I was dressed as Little Bo Peep and everyone loved it. The word spread quickly on social media and people were waiting at windows and doors to see me. So I asked if it was OK to do it every day and got the go-ahead.”
He wears different costumes on different days. On day 3, Jon chose to be a Greek/Trojan soldier, and he is becoming the most-favorite postman in the neighborhood. “Seeing so many people happy and having something to look forward to has really picked my spirits up. I was obviously feeling apprehensive about having to go to work and although it’s still in the back of my mind each day, this makes going to work so much easier. The only worry I have now is running out of things to wear.”
