66 Times People Found Or Received Notes That They Wished They Hadn’t (New Pics)

Instant messaging has made it incredibly easy to stay connected with loved ones, no matter the distance. Platforms like WhatsApp now see over two billion users each month as of February 2025, making it one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide. You can text, send photos, share voice notes, and even call—all in an instant. And if someone gets too annoying or bizarre, there’s a simple fix. One tap and block, and you’re free of strange messages. Digital life does have its perks.

But when it comes to old-school communication like letters and packages, things aren’t that simple. There’s no ‘block’ button for a suspicious parcel. Some people throw unwanted deliveries away. Others? They snap a photo and share it online for the world to guess what’s inside. It’s fascinating how physical mail still carries stories—some sweet, some odd, some deeply puzzling. And if anyone knows this world well, it’s the people who deliver them.

To understand this world better, Bored Panda spoke with Lokesh Shinde, a postman with over 20 years of experience. “Nowadays, we even get packages without full addresses,” he begins with a smile. “But we know our areas well. So, we still manage to find the right homes.” If something lands at the wrong house, most people return it. “That sense of trust still exists.”

Of course, not everything we deliver is normal,” Lokesh says, shaking his head. “Once, I had to deliver a breakup letter sent by Speed Post.” It was marked “Urgent: Emotional” and sealed like government papers. “The girl’s father read it first,” he chuckles. “Next day, he told me, ‘Some things are better left unsent.’ I didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize.”

Some senders love playing games. “There was this one package that had a scribbled note: ‘Deliver only if your name starts with L.’” Lucky for the sender, Lokesh fits the bill. “So I handed it over, and the guy smiled and said, ‘You’ve passed the test.’” No explanation followed. “I left that doorstep with more questions than answers,” Lokesh admits.

Other times, the weirdness is wrapped in emotion. “Once I delivered a small box filled with stones,” he recalls. Taped to it was a note that said, ‘This is how my heart feels.’” Lokesh took it to the woman on the label. She looked at the box and said, “Second one this week.” “I guess some people deal with breakups by sending heavy messages,” he adds.

“And then, some deliveries are just… creepy,” Lokesh says, a little more serious now. “There was a parcel wrapped in black cloth with no sender info. Just a red ink heart on the label.” He pauses, remembering. “I didn’t open it, of course. Just delivered it and moved on.” But that image stuck with him longer than he expected. Not everything is fun and games.

Suspicion can sometimes outweigh the strange. “Once I received a box that buzzed softly. It sounded like a toy or gadget,” he says. “It was addressed properly but something felt off.” Lokesh didn’t take chances—he flagged it for inspection. “You can’t be too careful these days,” he says. “We’re trained to report things that feel unsafe.”

“If a parcel smells funny or feels unusually heavy for its size, we notify the office,” Lokesh explains. “Sometimes it’s harmless—just a box of spices or batteries. But once, a package leaking red liquid turned out to be spilled sindoor from a wedding set. Still, it gave us all a heart attack for a moment,” he laughs. “You learn to expect the unexpected.”