In a surprising twist of fate, 70-year-old Tizi Hodson from Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, has finally received a response to a job application she sent almost five decades ago.
Back in 1976, Hodson applied for a position as a motorcycle stunt rider, a role she had been passionate about, but after hearing nothing for so long, she assumed her application had been unsuccessful.
Nearly 48 years later, she was astonished to learn that her letter had been stuck behind a drawer at a post office all this time.
The discovery was made during renovation work at the Staines Post Office, where staff unearthed the long-forgotten letter and returned it to Hodson with an accompanying note.
The message read, “Late delivery by Staines Post Office. Found behind a drawer. Only about 50 years late.”
This unexpected reply brought closure to a mystery that had lingered for nearly half a century.
Hodson, who had long since moved on from her dream of being a motorcycle stunt rider, greeted the news with amusement.
“I always wondered why I never heard back about the job. Now I know why,” she shared, reflecting on how life had taken her in different directions.
Despite missing the opportunity to pursue her stunt-riding ambitions, Hodson’s life unfolded in thrilling ways she could have never predicted.
Over the years, she built a career filled with adventure, working as a snake handler, horse whisperer, aerobatic pilot, and even a flying instructor.
These daring roles led her on journeys across the globe, creating the exciting and unconventional life she had always desired.
Looking back on her extraordinary experiences, Hodson offered some advice she would give to her younger self.
“If I could speak to my younger self, I would tell her to go and do everything I’ve done. I’ve had such a wonderful time in life, even if I have broken a few bones.” This adventurous spirit that defined her life was also evident in her younger self’s determination to become a stunt rider. Hodson vividly recalls the day she wrote the letter in her London flat, her hopes high as she typed out her application. “Every day I looked for my post, but there was nothing there, and I was so disappointed because I really, really wanted to be a stunt rider on a motorcycle,” she reminisced.
Back then, she felt compelled to conceal her gender in the letter, fearing it might hinder her chances of getting the job.
She even joked about the risks involved, writing, “I even stupidly told them I didn’t mind how many bones I might break, as I was used to it.”
Her youthful enthusiasm for the role was apparent, but as the weeks and months passed without a response, she eventually accepted that it wasn’t meant to be.
What makes the story even more remarkable is how the letter found its way back to Hodson after nearly five decades, despite her having moved more than 50 times and living in various countries.
“How they found me when I’ve moved house 50-odd times, and even moved countries four or five times, is a mystery,” she said in disbelief.
The delayed letter, while amusing, serves as a fitting testament to Hodson’s enduring boldness and determination.
Though her initial dream of becoming a motorcycle stunt rider never materialized, her adventurous nature shaped a life filled with thrills and achievements.
In many ways, the letter’s late arrival is a symbolic reminder of the ambition and courage that defined her path, allowing her to live out the excitement she had always craved—just not in the way she originally imagined.
