This morning, I opened the refrigerator and I couldn’t believe what I saw—or rather what I didn’t see.

Somehow, as incredible as it was—in defiance of all logic and precedent and…and decency—there was no more Half-and- Half! None. If true, this would render my coffee undrinkable.

Unthinkable! The empty space on the shelf was burning a hole in my retina. What was there to be done?

It’s actually kind of embarrassing to realize that we have taken so many comforts and conveniences for granted that we can’t even imagine what life would be like without them.

The Internet as we know it has only been around since 1983 and yet now we depend on it for everything. If the Internet were suddenly to disappear, we’d be lost. Literally. If I didn’t have GPS, it wouldn’t be safe for me to drive. I’d be headed to the local grocery store for some overpriced eggs and I’d end up in Chicago, from which I am certain, there is no escape.

A few years ago, cell phones were a novelty. Now they are a necessity. Lately, we have been hearing about a worldwide shortage of chocolate! Without chocolate, there would be no civilization. Bananas are facing extinction.

The electrical grid is crumbling. And so are most bridges. And what would we ever do without the US Postal Service?

Daniel Piazza, curator of philately (stamp stuff) at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum notes, “The postal service is one of the oldest federal agencies. Maybe for that reason we tend to take it for granted.” Our postal service was devised by Ben Franklin in 1775. The Continental Congress designated the fledgling service as the official United States Post Office– even before the signing of the Declaration of Independence!

Today, the postal service delivers mail and packages to more than 160 million addresses. Their website reports that 99 percent of the
US population is within 10 miles of a post office. And we all know their unofficial motto,

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their rounds.” (Imagine! These stalwart folks are not afraid of gloom!) Dogs, however, might be another matter. I once asked Mount Vernon’s former post master and one-time mail carrier, Arvin Parrott if he had been afraid of being bitten by dogs. “All dogs bite,” he assured me. “That’s how they eat.”

But now Donald Trump wants to sell off the US Postal Service to some private company. (What does he think it is, Greenland?) Last Thursday, around 40 postal service-loving protesters gathered at Mount Vernon’s post office, carrying signs and chanting, “This is what democracy looks like!” As they marched down First Street, somebody stuck their head out of a store and shouted, “Thank you!” Yes, this is what democracy looks like: peaceful, amiable, organized.

And serious. I knew it was time for me to get serious. If I wanted Half-and-Half, I was going to have to take matters into my own hands. Inconvenient as it might be, I would have to get in the car and go get some. Lucky for me, I’ve got GPS.