October holidays
We’re back, and another holiday season has come and gone. This year’s October holidays were much quieter than I had anticipated. I recall that there weren’t many orders coming through during my first autumn as a delivery rider, but even with a better understanding of what to expect this time around, I still wasn’t prepared for just how few orders I would receive. It's like everyone decided to skip the food delivery and just eat their cupboards instead. At least they saved a bit on delivery fees, I suppose.
When my delivery shifts are consistently quiet, I find it hard to stay motivated. I often lose the drive to commit to an entire evening of deliveries and end up heading home much earlier than usual. I tell myself it’s just "self-care," but honestly, it’s more like self-sabotage at this point. Delivering in the rain is especially unpleasant, so I recently invested in a high quality waterproof coat. While it keeps me dry during those wet, dreary conditions, the plastic-like material makes me sweat so much, I might as well be cycling through a steam room. On the plus side, I’ve also upgraded to new tires for my bike, which have significantly improved my grip on slippery roads. Now, when I wipe out, it’s my fault entirely, not the tires’ which is progress, I think.
For added comfort and warmth, I often wear my trusty BRO! hoodie, which is perfect for this kind of weather. It’s practically a blanket with a zipper. If only it came with a built-in heater.
Since I’m not particularly fond of cycling at night, I’ve been completing most of my deliveries during the day. Breakfast and lunch hours have been steady enough to keep me engaged and motivated, though I’ve noticed I’ve been feeling far more tired than in previous weeks. Maintaining focus and energy has become a challenge. I’m pretty sure even the monsters I’ve been drinking is giving up on me at this point.
Recently, I made a trip to the city for a day of work, but it was a mixed experience. The city I typically visit has a dauntingly steep hill that I seemed to be cycling up far more often than down. It was like the hill was personally targeting me, and, spoiler alert, it won. The effort was exhausting, and I decided not to return for additional shifts. My legs were crying for mercy, and quite frankly, I don’t think I can face that hill again anytime soon. However, that day gave me an idea: I should start a blog about what it’s really like to deliver in smaller towns. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the next big thing in the world of online content—though realistically, it’ll probably just be my mum reading it.
During the October holidays, I struggled to make more than £40 a day but that’s just how it is sometimes. And, let’s face it, it was probably for the best, given that at the rate I was going, I was about to end up cycling into a tree out of sheer exhaustion.
