The Garbage Truck Story

Story by: David J Pollay The Law of the Garbage Truck 

Sixteen years ago I learned an important life lesson, in the back of a New York City taxi cab.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station.  We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded,
and missed the other car by mere inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and started yelling bad words at us.  My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.  And I mean, he was actually friendly!

So, I asked him, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and could've sent us to the hospital!"

And this is when my taxi driver told me about what I now call, "The Law of Garbage Trucks."

"Many people are like Garbage Trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and if you let them, they'll dump it on you.  When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. Instead, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happier because you did."

Wow.  That really got me thinking about how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? AND, how often do I then take their garbage and spread it onto other people: at work, at home, on the streets?  It was that day I resolved, "I'm not going to do it anymore."

Since then, I have started to see Garbage Trucks everywhere.  Just as the kid in the Sixth Sense movie said, "I see dead people," I can now say, "I see Garbage Trucks." :)

I see the load they're carrying ... I see them coming to drop it off.  And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

The CEO's Daughter

Photo Credits to Enmast.com

A tall Manhattan skyscraper housed a company owned by the CEO. Everyone in the building worked for the CEO, who officed on the top floor. Most had not seen him, but they had seen his daughter. She worked in the building for her father. She exploited her family position for her benefit.

One morning she approached Bert, the guard. "I'm hungry, Bert. Go down the street and buy me a Danish."

The demand placed Bert in a dilemma. He was on duty. Leaving his post would put the building at risk. But his boss's daughter insisted. "Come on, now;  hurry up."

What options did he have? As he left, he said nothing but, If the daughter is so bossy, what does the say about her father?

She was only getting started. Munching on her muffin, she bumped into a paper-laden secretary. "Where are you going with all those papers?"

"To have them bound for an afternoon meeting."

"Forget the meeting. Come to my office and vacuum the carpet."

"But I was told.."
"And I am telling you something else."

The woman had no choice. After all, this was the boss's daughter speaking. Which caused the secretary to question the wisdom of the boss.

And on the daughter went. Making demands. Calling shots. Interrupting schedules. Never invoking the name of her dad. Never leveraging her comments with, "My dad said..."

No need to.

Wasnt't she the boss's child? Didn't the child speak for the father? And so Bert abandoned his post. And assistant failed to finish a task. And more than one employee questioned the wisdom of the man upstairs. Does he really know what he is doing? they wondered.

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). "Don't think language; think lifestyle." The command calls us to elevate the name or reputation of God to the highest place. We exist to give honor to His name.

(An excerpt from Max Lucado's It's not About Me)