UNBELIEVABLY HARD TRASH PICKING TONIGHT!

 

Unbelievably hard three hours tonight!  Whew!  I went to Cole & Brown.  It didn't look bad driving by, but that means nothing.  I picked up 1,791 pieces of trash tonight, lots and lots of broken glass.

I almost didn't go out, because it was raining, and I was having a good hair day.  (It stopped raining just about the time my hair was a mess.)

I was turning the corner at Brown & Cole, and these three kids were crossing the street.  The little boy threw trash at me and laughed.  I picked it up with my trash grabber and acted like I didn't know he was being mean.  

The girl asked me if I was doing community service.  I told them my story, and while I was talking, the little boy threw his can on the ground.  I said, "Did you just litter?"  He said, "I'm sorry, it's a habit.  And I'm sorry I hit you with trash."  I let him pick the can up with the trash grabber.

Then I asked them if they wanted to be in my blog.  That changed everything!  Then they were very nice, and said they'd like to help me pick up trash.  I knew I'd win them over.  The change we want to see begins with the children.  I believe that.

I found these giant popsicle sticks.  They were everywhere!  What the heck are they?

I didn't know what they were, but I know they were hard to pick up.

Every sidewalk square had broken glass.  Green, brown, pink and clear.  I felt good about cleaning this area.  It was in bad shape.

I found all these alphabetical plastic tiles, socks, gloves, more broken glass and a dime!

What's with all the socks?

I turned the corner at Brown, and look at all this broken glass!  

I couldn't sweep it up. I had to pick each piece up with my trash grabber.

While I was picking all that up, the cook at Mama Rosa's Pizza Shop yelled out the window, "I saw you on TV!  Thank you for what you're doing!"

I noticed there wasn't a speck of trash in his parking lot.  It wasn't like that a year ago, so they are paying attention.

 

This was very scary to see.  

I was cleaning around this telephone pole, and I saw a knife stuck in the side, with profanities written on it.  I hesitated for just a second before I pulled it out and threw it under my trash bag.

Who would do something like that?  It's a very sharp knife.

As I passed the church where I cleaned the parking a few weeks ago, the pastor of the church pulled out of the parking lot, and he rolled down his window and said, "Thank you for what you're doing for us."

Did they have a camera on and see me cleaning that horrible mess?  

My friend, Tom, thinks nobody cares.  He thinks it doesn't do any good to pick up trash.  Bless him for working so hard, but more than ever before, I know he is wrong.  

Everybody cares, and it changes everything!

It's a slow process, but I can see the change happening.