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A Day in the Life 7:30 a.m. Whew! I have just started pushing my bucket towards my route. It is a peaceful neighborhood as all kinds of people hurry to work. Holy
Mackerel! Look at Third Avenue! My route is a complete mess! You'd think
the Yankees had another parade, but, instead of confetti, the fans threw
garbage. Oh, well, I'm
Although I look like a ghetto smurf, I am greeted with "Good morning. You guys do a great job out here!" by an elderly man who, while saying this, pulls out a roll of twenties, digs past them and hands me a quarter. "Get yourself some coffee," he says. "But coffee costs . . . oh, never mind," I smile. "Have a nice day, sir." 8:45 a.m. I'm a little irritated because, not only did someone drop steaming doggie poo in my bucket, but I got a hernia trying to lift a garbage bag that had a car battery in it! At least the bag didn't break. I wish I could say the same about my spine. 10 a.m. Ahhh. It's break time and the majority of the morning rush is over. Now, I can add a quarter to the one that guy gave me and get a cup of coffee. But all I see are Starbucks everywhere! Oh, well. Maybe I can catch the coffee truck a few blocks down. "You guys really make the neighborhood look great! Thank you!" a sweet smiling lady says as she passes me. Wow, that made me feel good. Unfortunately, the feeling doesn't last too long as I come to a garbage pail I just emptied only to find it full again. 1:30 p.m. The neighborhood public school just finished their recess and, once again, I wish the Yankees would have their parades downtown like they're supposed to! These kids ran through here like the movie "Twister." But it's all good, because I was a kid once. I remember when we used to play hooky and we'd...oops! I almost lost track. Where was I? Oh... 2:39 p.m. I'm making my last run to make sure my route is tight. But first it's going to take me at least fifteen minutes to give directions to a couple of tourists who don't speak English. 3 p.m. Wow! The
last can on my route is just three feet ahead of me, but,
Oh no! I know I
didn't
just step in...! -- Tracy Washington |
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in for another hard day's work at Ready, Willing
& Able.
because my feet
are aching from walking all day, it seems like three miles. Yet, somehow,
through it all, I'm still rather happy: happy because I've completed
something once again; happy because all I can remember about the day is those
smiling faces that showed appreciation; happy because it's Wednesday,
which means, in about an hour, I'll be getting paid. Another day, another
dollar, working for The Doe Fund.
