Paying it Forward: One Pile at a Time #112
Satisfaction of another’s need is above and beyond. Writing a thank you note has high impact. We can be a better community in supporting one another. Spread kindness and respect.
Jack Browne, published Wichita Falls Times Record News, April 20, 2025
Public service is honorable, but many who serve the public are invisible and often underappreciated.
When things don’t go the way we want, we complain at the service provider. We should have thought a bit longer considering that the folks we complain at, are the very people who clean up the mess. We and the service provider both know those causing the issue don’t care about others.
Arriving home, I was greeted by someone else’s piles of trash around the overflowing dumpster in the alley behind my home. No one knows who left their trash next to an overflowing dumpster.
I usually report the incident via the city web site. It is easy as you select the issue fill in the address and you get status updates as a truck is dispatched. It is a special truck with a grapple that can quickly gather the dumped trash, lift it into the bed of the truck and haul it away.
Frequently the route driver in my alley and I wave as he drives away. Last summer I shared okra and eggplant with him from an overwhelming harvest.
Last week, the dumpster had several long studs extending above the dumpster. As the dumpster was full, the rest of the construction debris was piled on both sides of the dumpster.
The driver stopped the truck, and we talked.
He said he could write up a workorder, and in a few days it would be cleared up.
I suggested I could cut the wood into shorter pieces with my Sawzall to fit in the dumpster.
The driver joined me in removing the longer unwieldy pieces that wouldn’t fit in the truck. He emptied the remaining contents into his truck and went on his way. In 20 minutes, I had the studs cut, and all the debris tossed into the dumpster.
My morning workout complete, I sat down for a cup of coffee and thought I should nominate my driver as employee of the month. I was impressed when he stepped out of his truck, and together we made it better right then.
Satisfaction of another’s need is certainly above and beyond what I expected. It’s a great day to be in Wichita Falls.
Who do you know who deserves recognition? One of my work-life habits I’ve let slip, was to send two handwritten thank you notes each day. What did I do for my second daily note?
Thank you for reading and sharing your time with me. Enjoy your Easter weekend, Spring is here.
Jack Browne is a community activist and past technology engineer, sales and marketing executive at Motorola, MIPS Technologies and other companies. How are the children doing?