Friday, 12/12

I think I finally get it.

Here's a fun fact about me.  When asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?”, I've only ever had three answers.  One was “astronaut”, another was what I'm doing now, and the third, apparently. was the first career field to which I ever aspired...

Garbage collector?

I don't remember this at all, but according to my dear  mother (hi down in Florida, Mom!) when I was a little kid I wanted to be a garbage collector.  There was apparently a very specific reason for it, in that  when I was young I was enthralled with the sound and the clatter that a garbage truck would make.  According to my mom, every single garbage day I would eagerly await the arrival of the truck, and then stare in wonder as the workers tossed cans in and the machinery within made a ruckus that would raise the dead.

As we've all figured out by now, I was a very special child.

I've always kind of chuckled at that story, really believing that I wasn't mesmerized by the racket made by the garbage truck.  But then I walked to work Wednesday.  On my daily stroll down to the station I pass a day care center where kids are always running around outside, burning energy, and most days even waving at me.  However, on Wednesday they weren't doing any of that, because their attention was placed elsewhere.

They were watching a garbage truck's mechanical arms pick up a bin and placing its contents into the top of the truck.

Now, I'm not talking just one “very special child” doing this.  Nope; a dozen kids—boys & girls—all under five years old, stood staring intently at the truck, mesmerized by what it was doing.  I don't know why; after all I was thinking, much like a cranky old man in training, that it was probably almost too loud for a city street.  But the kids were just rapt, staring at what they perceived as an awesome sight.

Apparently much like I did when I was young.

Now I have no idea if any of those kids would answer “garbage collector” when asked what they want to be when they grow up.  But if one of them were to do so, I guess I would kind of understand.

Because apparently there's just something about kids & garbage trucks.

Have a great weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)