Most weekday mornings I walk up Solano Avenue, either to drop Maeve off at kindergarten or to keep Alex on the same routine as if we were dropping Maeve off at kindergarten. Our walks coincide with one of my favorite sights--the "garbage guy", and usually said garbage guy's more recent companion/assistant/protege. These guys power walk down Solano to San Pablo, then back up, picking up every piece of trash that they see and tossing it in the closest trash can.
Maeve loves seeing these guys. I love seeing them--and it also makes me feel guilty that I'm not going as far, or fast, and am not bettering my environment or community, either. They're setting the bar higher here, for sure.
I finally got around to googling "solano avenue trash pick up guy" today and this is what I learned. Allen Cain has been doing this for four years (!) and it started as his 2009 New Year's resolution to exercise. He lost 40 pounds doing this.
Can you think of a resolution you've kept long enough for it to become permanent habit? Or that has morphed into something even bigger than it started? Turned you into a local celebrity?
Two morals of this story for me. First off exercise with a purpose. You will get more out of it, stick with it, and other people will marvel at just how awesome you are for going above and beyond. Second, Albany really is a sweet place to live.
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