I have 2 boys: Kellen, who is 4, and Nolan, who is 18 months. Each week, both of these boys look forward to one thing.
Sunday night football? Nope.
Saturday morning yard work? I wish.
Our weekly visit to Chick-fil-A? I probably get more excited about it than they do.
Every Friday morning, these boys wake up, eat breakfast, and sprint to our living room window, as they anxiously await the arrival of…our garbage man. (You’d think they were trying to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus.)
For the longest time, I thought that it had something to do with the machine itself. A garbage truck has a lot of cool features to a little boy.
It’s big.
It’s loud.
And it lifts our trash can, dumping it into the top of the truck.
But there’s more. Anytime the boys happen to be in our front yard when the garbage man drives by, he honks. And they love it. But that’s not too special. After all, our garbage man did that when I was a little boy. So what makes this the must-see event of the week?
Our garbage man’s name is Tony. My boys know his name. But why?
One Friday morning, several months ago, my wife took our boys to the park in our neighborhood. And who just happened to be driving through at that time? Our garbage man. But this time he didn’t just honk. He stopped his truck, got out, gave them both a toy garbage truck, and drumroll…he let them sit inside the truck and honk the horn.
It made their day. That’s why they know his name. And each Friday when Kellen and Nolan run to the window, they don’t run to see a garbage man. They run to see Tony.
Tony didn’t need to get out of his truck that day. He didn’t need to engage the community. He could have labeled himself as “just a garbage man,” gone about his job with a miserable attitude, and collected a paycheck.
But he didn’t. Because Tony understands joy.
Too often in my various jobs throughout the years, I’ve shown up to work with a miserable attitude. I was there just to collect a paycheck. And this isn’t exclusive to my work. I’ve had plenty of moments when I’ve had a miserable attitude with my family, friends, and even with God at church.
But even though I wasn’t there that day, Tony taught me something. It’s better to choose joy.
It’s better to occasionally get out of your truck or office. It’s better to get to know the people you work with or serve. And it’s better to make the most of wherever you are in life, rather than wallow in self-pity of what you wish you were.
Maybe you have a job you don’t like. Get out of your office this week, get to know a new co-worker, and choose joy.
Maybe you’re struggling with stress at home with your spouse or kids. Set aside your chores for 30 minutes, talk to your spouse or play with your kids, and choose joy.
Or maybe you’re struggling in your relationship with God. Spend 30 minutes in prayer tomorrow, thank God for the many blessings in your life, and choose joy.
These are all things I struggle with, but if there’s one thing our world truly needs right now, it’s joy. So I’m going to choose it. And I’m thankful to the garbage man who taught me how.
Question: What is one way you can choose joy this week?
Going to give this to all my doctors and employees today. What an inspiration….Eric you are wise beyond your years. It is an honor to know you.
That’s so great. Thank you for the kind affirmation Cheryl. I pray that it will bless all the doctors and employees who read it.
We have a very similar story, with our son Eamon (who just turned 16) and the garbage man who served our neighborhood, Gil. Eamon would awake from his sound slumber upon hearing the rumble of the truck on the street behind us, bolt out of bed, and sprint out the front door in time to see the truck in front of our house. Gil would always honk and wave, and one day, just as Tony did, Gil stopped and let Eamon sit in the front seat and honk the horn. Gil shared that he had recently gone through a tough time, and he looked forward to the joy of a small boy on his route to lift his spirits.
A few months later, we were preparing to move to a different neighborhood, and on the last day before we moved, Eamon made a poster with a heart-felt message to Gil: “We love you Gil, and we are going to miss you!” He held up the poster, and sure enough, Gil stopped, got out of his truck, and gave Eamon a huge hug.
And then, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story: A couple of months later, in our new neighborhood, Eamon was still coming out to greet the garbage truck every week, and would you believe it, there was Gil! He was filling in for another driver that day, and we had a wonderful reunion.
Thanks, Eric, for your inspiring story, and for bringing back some great memories of our own.
That’s a beautiful story, Sean! Thank you for sharing. Praise God for men like Gil and Tony. And praise God for the sweet innocence of little children. God bless you.
Tony is a great friend of mine up in Prescott. Greatest ? ever….
No doubt. He is a good man.
This is amazing! I grew up with Tony. His older brother and I were best friends growing up. Tony was ALWAYS outgoing and from what I recall always loved kids! Though I haven’t seen him in many years, this blog post helped to remind me to choose joy, and as I begin my week back at work I’m going to think of my d friend Tony and choose Joy! Thanks Tony!
That’s so great. Thank you, Gil!