Full disclosure: I was planning to be a garbage man as a high school senior in 79. I thought physical work early in the morning that paid a living wage so I could read and write with the rest of my day was for me. A free college education became available to me that same year. I decided I owed taking advantage of that opportunity to myself, and those who never had an opportunity to go and graduate. I did.

4:01 am I’m up before the 4:50 am alarm. It was set 40 minutes earlier than usual to put the garbage out today. It was too windy to leave out during last night’s storm. I was tempted to stay outside to say hi but decided to not mask up and stayed watching with coffee in the kitchen. After the guys stopped at the townhouse before us to run the crusher to make room for more they went way too fast to the next stop past us. I was out within a minute to see we were missed and had to run to the truck because yelling would have only woke my neighbors. I did.

“Hey you missed our garbage!”

“You don’t have to talk to me like that!”

“It was out there. You didn’t pick it up!.”

“You’re from the first development right!? What number!?”

“We’re number six. It was out there, you guys went right by it!”

“I know which one that is! You don’t put it out far enough! You don’t need to talk to be like that!…”

“I put it on the edge!”

“Never mind, never mind! We’ll get it! Okay just forget it!”

The words were loud. They were also a perfect example of yesterdays blog. The loudness could have been seen as me trying to be heard over the noise of the garbage truck but the drive who was uses to the noise didn’t see it that way. I put the two trash cans at the bottom of the driveway this time, but they’re black plastic in the dark and this time focus was partly on crushing. Add to that we haven’t been here for a month, that’s the last eight times the cans weren’t out.

A happening with at least four factors that could have been a non judgemental experience but it was unpredicted and became undone. Yesterday’s blog. …but not for long.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Thanks for coming back. I’ll make sure they’re at the edge.”

“Yeah you nee… a never.. You know what. Have a good day.”

79 update, redone.