Being forced to stay at home during the pandemic is hard on everyone. Moms and dads can’t just go eat at their favorite restaurant. And when heading to the grocery store, a lot of them are in such a hurry to get away from other people, they forget half of what they intended to buy.
But what about the kids. For children across the globe, the quarantine has brought an end to their school year. That means no more recesses, chats with teachers, or most importantly, graduation ceremonies. Kids can’t hang out with their friends, go to the park, or do most things they enjoy.
It’s especially tough on kids
Yes, the mandated quarantine is hard on every single person but it affects kids on a much different level. After all, as adults, we understand the importance of following the rules but for young boys and girls, they want to do anything other than to stay cooped up in the house all day. Playing with the same toys quickly gets boring.
Watching the world go by
It’s as though kids are looking outside their windows and watching the world pass them by. Knowing how frustrating this is, one mailman named Jon Matson from Sunderland, UK, decided to do something about it. And boy, did he.
Lifting spirits
While on his route, Matson saw first-hand how sad and hopeless people were, in particular, the kids. So, he came up with an innovative way to make them feel better. His plan? He’d wear a different costume every day on his mail route.
That meant getting creative
Fortunately, Matson has quite a few costumes. Since he’s heavily involved with a charitable organization, he had his pick of several fun things. Even so, there were a few times when he had to dig deep in his closets to come up with something. Surprisingly, he pulled it off.
Talk about diversity
One day, Matson delivered mail while wearing a cheerleader costume. As you can imagine, the kids loved it. Although he got a few odd stares, most people were grateful that he’d go out of his way to do something nice just for them.
He played many different characters
Besides being a cheerleader, Matson donned gladiator and Little Bo Peep costumes, among many others. This 39-year-old father of two told the local news station, “From doing my rounds every day I’ve got to know people well and I saw how their moods changed. I had a drawer of outfits so I thought why not dress up and cheer them up.”
He did more than that
Although Matson only dressed up a few days each week, it didn’t matter. That was enough to make him popular along his route and throughout the community. It didn’t take any time at all before word of his good deed spread.
Going beyond the community
But Matson’s popularity didn’t stop with the people he knew. Before long, social media caught wind of what he was doing. With that, his story spread like wildfire. He’s received so many responses that he admits to feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
Matson’s reaction
Matson had this to say, “It’s been fantastic. It’s been so lovely to be able to bring a smile back to my customers’ faces. After my first round dressed as a cheerleader, the next day people were already out waiting before I even got there dressed as Little Bo Peep.”
Such an honorable man
Matson views his decision as a win-win. First, he has the chance to help people during this difficult time. Second, the costumes provide him with some protection against the coronavirus.
He explains it this way, “By doing this and seeing my customers’ smiles it’s helping me to keep my spirits up too.”
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