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After the storm

Bin collection day

By Jess SPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
1
After the storm
Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

Last nights storm devastated the entire region. Parts of trees had fallen onto cars, bicycles, and roofs. Rubbish was a scattered all over ground, plastering the street in kind of a modern fashioned art.

I rose early that morning, awoken by the gentle stroke of the first sunshine. My partner was still sleeping next to me and the dog still hiding underneath the bed.

When I looked outside, I was not surprised to see a mess in the front garden. I slowly walked downstairs only wearing my bathrobe over my pyjamas. The winter chill has gone, and it started to warm up in late April.

I stepped outside. My bare feet were touching the soft grass. I felt the morning dew right under my skin, sending a refreshing tingle up my spine.

It was quiet. Peaceful. I did not want to destroy the silence, so I decided to drink my coffee on the little porch. I had a good view onto the street and was sorry to see all the bins laying on the ground. Pieces of rubbish was scattered on the ground.

It was Thursday which meant bin collection day. I was off work today, so in my head I was planning through the day. I had nothing special planned.

I started smiling when this marvellous idea conquered my mind.

Excited I ran back into the house and put on some pants and an old shirt. I decided to wear some gloves as well.

I started at the very end of the street since it was a dead end. I had 2 hours until bin collection.

The last house on the street was the worst. All the content of the bin was on the floor. I picked everything up, one item after the other and threw it back into the bin which I repositioned neatly next to the curb.

By Hansjörg Keller on Unsplash

About halfway through I took a break and got a cold drink. I looked back on the street and a big feeling of achievement overcame me.

I was sweating heavily as the temperature was rising. I could only imagine what the bin collectors must be going through in summer, wearing these heavy uniforms.

I moved on, house to house, door to door, bin to bin.

One neighbour stepped out of the door, asking me suspiciously “Why are you doing this?”.

“Because I want to, plus it is good exercise”. I smiled at him and continued my work.

My back started to hurt but I kept going. There was no way I was giving up.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed the bin collection company slowing driving up to the end of the street. I had about 5 more houses to go.

Suddenly one of the bin collectors walked towards me. He was looking sweaty. He probably finished a few streets already. “Madam, did you pick up these bins with all the rubbish over there?”

I nodded, smiling, and shading my eyes with my hand from the glaring sun.

“Madam we can’t thank you enough. We really appreciate this. It helps us so much. All the other streets are so full of garbage. The residents don’t even think about picking up their own waste to put it back in the bin.”

I assured him that this was no problem, and I was happy to help.

To my surprise he took off his gloves and shook my hand. The others were standing in front of the lorry smiling and waving at me.

By Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Proudly I finished the last few houses and walked home. I never felt so good. The satisfaction did not come from picking up the waste itself, but rather from putting a smile on a few men’s faces who got an extremely hard job. The gratitude in the man’s eye was emphasized with a respectful handshake.

I realised that I did something good. I did something for someone else and made their day better. It was a small deed for me, with a bigger meaning for them.

A good deed indeed.

By Zac Durant on Unsplash

humanity
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About the Creator

Jess S

One day I will be myself again,

and this darkness might come to an end,

and all doubt will cease,

and all strength will rise.

One day my tinted memories will be left behind,

and I will be able to see the world through a clear lens.

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