John's Blog

Yesterday was our town's annual Spring Clean-up, where everybody is encouraged to "bring out your junk" (and I'm NOT talking about THAT kind of junk!) for a special trash pick-up. I always enjoy my run on those days, since it allows me to survey the variety of stuff people are throwing away.

I know this is a strange thing to enjoy, but it's as close to being an archeologist as I'll ever get. I find myself, looking at the type and variety of items: old bikes, broken TVs, sagging couch, rusty lawnmowers, busted or ignored exercise equipment, and similar stuff. It's easy to imagine the joy they once provided when they were new, and what I'm sure is in some cases the pain involved in the decision to throw out an item where there are still memories and emotions attached. On the other hand; it's just junk.

I always find myself evaluating the "quality" of the junk. Not that I'd want other people's stuff but I almost find myself exhibiting a strange competitive streak where I need to feel that "my junk" is nicer than what I see others throwing out. One of my neighbors seemed visibly disappointed when admitting that he didn't have anything to put out. I was tempted to offer him some of mine.

Another bizarre element of this is that some people then view this as a giant gratis "lawn sale". Starting Friday night the streets are filled with people cruising, and checking out the junk piles. The most "desirable" items are usually scooped up. I saw an amazing amount of trucks just busting at the seams with junk on Saturday morning. About half of my pile was gone by the time the county truck came by for the official pick-up. Sort of a relief for that competitive part of me.