Mike Rifkin - A Cool Brother-in-Law

A couple of winters ago, I decided to take on a paper route in a nearby small town in order to earn extra money for the holidays.  It was a good decision on my part.  Despite the early wake-up times, I found that I enjoyed being outside and really looked forward to the two hours of quiet time that the route provided.  The extra income was a positive aspect as well.

One thing that is difficult with a paper route, however, is when unexpected events occur.  A paper route is simply one of those things that must be completed every single day, and people really don’t have much patience when it comes to missing papers or late deliveries.  When something unexpected does come up the biggest challenge becomes finding someone to do the route as a substitute.

One cold winter morning, I was out on my route when I slipped very hard on a patch of ice.  Barely able to drive my car the rest of the way because of the pain, I immediately went to the doctor to find out I had multiple minor injuries in my ankle and hip area.  I really had nobody to ask to fill in for a substitute so I was feeling very overwhelmed. 

My wife suggested that I ask her brother Mike to fill-in for me.  He did, and he even made it through the route that week during my recovery without missing a single delivery.  Thanks Mike for being available on such short notice and for helping out a person in need.