Garbage

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” –  Thomas Edison

I read a truly heartwarming story earlier this year about a 2-year old who loves vehicles, big trucks, and especially garbage trucks.  Apparently, this child had been fascinated by the local garbage truck making its rounds since he could walk, and he eagerly awaited their weekly arrival.  He told his parents that the garbage man would always wave at him as he watched out the window. His heroes were the local garbage men.

The toddler was rewarded with a toy garbage truck after successful potty training, so he was eager to show the trash collectors his new toy.  When dad asked if he would like to get his picture taken with his neighborhood friends, he jumped at the chance, and was quickly overcome by emotion.

This story appeared amidst the daily assortment of chaotic world news, and I found it wonderfully rich on so many levels. It goes to the heart of why I love working with kids.  It is why Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them.”  Children embrace unconditional love and affection, yet they do not differentiate between race, affluence, nor worldly status.  They do not judge and they find great delight in what adults might consider mundane.  Indeed it is a shame that we must grow up!

I’m certain that the garbage collectors would tell you this was the highlight of their day, and perhaps gave them a sense of admiration and respect that is most uncommon while toiling in a noisy, smelly environment awash with others refuse.  But just imagine for a brief moment if there were no garbage men, no scheduled, orderly trash collection, nowhere for waste to go other than pile up in your own back yard.  I suspect we would all then quickly begin to appreciate their labors on the exact same level as a 2-year old.

Who are your heroes?  Better yet, who are you a hero to?

“Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.”  Gerald Way