AFTER EIGHT DAYS OFF, I'M BACK!

After eight days off, because of a pinched nerve in my neck, I'm back!  I decided to go back to the entrance and exit ramps on Waterloo Road tonight. 

I picked up 620 pieces of trash starting at the Goodwill parking lot, past the gas station, all over the open field, under the bridge, both sides of the entrance ramp, under the bridge again, all over the second open field and both sides of the exit ramp.  Only 620 pieces!  THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!  I picked up 17,820 pieces and spent over 16 hours cleaning this area two weeks ago.  Now I did it in less than one hour!

I didn't take any pictures tonight, but that's okay.  I'll share a story that happened last summer.  I was picking up trash at Virginia & Wilbeth Road, and a guy stopped at the light rolled his window down and said, "Why don't you clean the other end of this street?"  I thought I heard him wrong.  Nobody criticizes what I do.  I'm a volunteer!  But I checked it out the next day anyway.  It was really bad.  And a bit secluded, so a little scary.

I got it all cleaned up, and it didn't take very long.  I wondered, as I worked, who he thought I was.

Did he think I worked for the City?  If the trash around his house bothered him so much, why didn't he get out there and pick it up?

I don't think anybody has the right to complain about the trash if they aren't willing to do anything about it.

When the City of Akron told me they knew they had a trash problem, but didn't know what to do about it, I got very angry.  And the next day I started picking up trash so my dogs would have a safe place to walk. 

I never thought I would try to keep my entire city clean.  I never thought I would go out every day with so much passion.  I guess I am a very passionate person.  I love the people I love A LOT.  I love my dogs A LOT.  I love my job A LOT.  I also love picking up trash and making my city beautiful A LOT.

Who would have thought?