Finding a lesson in a dumpster: A letter from the Editor
Submitted by Wimberley1 on
By Dalton Sweat
Editor
Editor
Two weeks ago, I talked about how it’s the little things in life that matter. Last week, I got a lesson reaffirming that statement, and it came from a rather odd place.
On Monday night of last week, I was working late at the Wimberley View office, as usual when the weekly deadline begins to approach. At around midnight, I needed a break, and since there isn’t much to do in an office a midnight, that break turned out to be taking out the trash. It was just a quick reprieve from the sometimes-incessant glow of a computer screen.
When I reached the dumpster in the parking lot, there was obviously something rustling inside. I figure it was just one of the stray cats that roam past my window every half hour like a meowing version of a cuckoo clock (more on stray cats in a minute).
I prepared to thrust open the lid of the dumpster, just quick enough to get the trash bag in, and just quick enough to make sure nothing else came out. As I reached for the lid, I was startled as a light flashed from within the dumpster – obviously a flashlight. That was no cat inside, it was a person — inside the dumpster — at midnight.
I quickly retreated back to my office, locked the door and called the police.
An officer showed up, quite quickly I might add. I pointed her in the direction of the dumpster and explained the circumstances. I don’t know that she believed there was actually a person inside, probably thinking I had mistaken a random noise for a person and over-reacted, because she jumped back a little bit when a hand lurched into sight from inside the dumpster.
I watched as the officer helped get a woman out from within. The woman seemed to be in her mid-forties, and decently dressed considering the realm she had just crawled out of. She was very apologetic and quite embarrassed.
The police officer said that the woman claimed to be looking for boxes. According to the officer, she was “familiar” with the woman meaning that she had likely had a few run-ins with law enforcement. She said this dumpster diver was not dangerous, hung out with the wrong crowd and may or may not have a home. She moved frequently, hence the need for boxes.
I realized, in the moment, that we had recently received the Dripping Springs Visitor’s Guides. In fact, we had boxes upon boxes of visitor’s guides, and many of the boxes laid empty in the back room. My caring side began to take over.
This is where those stray cats come back into play.
You see, I try, with all my might, to consistently make the right decision. It’s not an easy task, but I often find myself having a stereotypical reaction, when a reaction of love or care could do wonders. Maybe I’m naïve, or maybe it’s those viral videos you see on the internet where one small act of true kindness makes a world of difference.
A few weeks back, a stray cat got stuck in my backyard. As far as my wife and I could tell, this cat had got in, but couldn’t get out. In the process of figuring out how to deal with the cat, this “compassion reaction,” we’ll call it, came over me.
“What if, instead of trying to throw the cat or call animal control, I tried to treat it with love?”
If I was mean to this cat, I knew I’d feel guilty later on, but what if I was nice? What if a kind reaction could save this cat and I some heartache?
One doctors visit and two shots later, I learned that sometimes nice ideas can come back to bite you – literally.
Now, back to the woman who just crawled out of the dumpster.
It would be easy to assume this tale of box hunting was simply a story to try and get out of trouble. It’s easier to say you were looking for boxes than trying to sleep in a dumpster, but there is that chance she is telling the truth. Who am I to tell someone that my trash isn’t their treasure or at least something they need?
I went inside and grabbed the boxes that I had, walked them outside to the woman and handed them to her.
The look, the smile, the awe on her face was amazing. The encompassing feeling I got when she hugged me was wonderfully bittersweet as I took in the moment while realizing, at the same time, this is a person who just got out of a dumpster.
Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that matter, just like those viral videos you see on the news.
I tell you now that this story is just that – a story. While much of it is real, some of it is not, and the parts that are fable are likely your favorite ones.
In reality, after finishing my conversation with the police officer, I locked the door, looked out the window to make sure everything was safe and went back to work.
It was the stereotypical, realistic and safe reaction. I didn’t walk outside with the extra boxes.
I tell you this story, because it is another lesson in my life.
I strive to always make the right decision in my personal life and in my work life, and it isn’t easy.
I feel that if I try to make the right choice, not just everyday but in every instance, that the good will eventually outweigh the occasional negative consequence. It doesn’t matter if it is stopping on the square to let someone cross the street or spending the extra time to carefully craft each story.
I may be naïve, but in this instance, I didn’t make the right choice. I should have been willing to help, no matter how small or insignificant that help might seem. I should have been willing to help, even if there was a chance it could come back to bite me.
So I take this lesson and wait for the next opportunity. The next time, I will do better. I wait to make the right choice – and right now, I wait with a few extra boxes sitting in the back of my office just in case.
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