When he first made the switch from writer at a legacy media company — Time Inc. — to parcel slinger for Amazon, John Austin Murphy III said he wasn’t able to admit it to his friends and family.
But soon enough, the ex-Sports Illustrated senior editor said, in an essay for The Atlantic, that moments of chagrin he faced on his new job were far outnumbered by the upsides of the job.
“There’s a certain novelty,” he wrote “…in playing for the team that’s winning big, that’s not considered a dinosaur, even if that team is paying me $17 an hour (plus OT!)… it’s been illuminating to see exactly how a package makes the final leg of its journey.”
Murphy wrote that when he’s delivering a package that “practically jumps into my hand,” and he’s moving in a rhythm, that he truly enjoys the work. He said that there’s a feeling of independence that comes with piloting his own van and a “tingle of anticipation” he feels each day before finding out his route.
“I deliver to the brightest young people in the state, some of whom may wonder, if they give me even a passing thought,” he added. “What hard luck has befallen this man, who appears to be my father’s age but is performing this menial task?”
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