Strange experience #1 – going to the dump on a weekday.  The stuff has been piling up.  Almost a mountain in the garage.  Odd closings over the holidays plus ridiculously cold weather caused me to postpone the trip I knew I needed to make.

And today I finally went.

I had it on my list, and wanted to get it out of the way.  Even though I hadn’t had time to do a real purge, I had more than enough to fill my car.  So I drove the familiar route to what is officially called “The Transfer Station”.

As familiar as the route was, it felt weird to drive in there.  It wasn’t packed with people – the weekend warriors.  And everyone there seemed a lot older than me.  I felt almost like they were looking at me, as if asking, “What on earth are you doing here in the middle of the week?”  But actually I think that was just me thinking that.  They probably didn’t even notice I was there.

I decided to enjoy the moment.  I get to do this in the middle of the day.  I don’t have to wait until Saturday and race to get there with everyone else.  I can wave to the attendant, watch the cans and bottles go down the recycling chute and listen to the music they make as they crash into others.

It was then I saw a woman.  Walking with a cane and trying to carry bags of recyclables from the car to the chute.  Struggling because it’s hard to hold a bag of stuff in only one hand.

I asked her if she needed help, and she gratefully accepted it.  It took about 2 minutes.  And we chatted while we worked together.  I went home with a song in my heart.

Why?  Because I had time to pay attention.  I had time to notice.  I had time to really see her.  And I had an interaction I would have otherwise missed.

So forget about feeling funny that I was the youngest person at the dump.  I met a beautiful person today.

What might you notice today if you pick your head up and look around?  Try it and share what happens in the comments.