Beware of Garbage Trucks

Beware of Garbage Trucks

by David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people's nonsense change
your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss,
or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the
Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your
heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly
she can get back her focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson.
I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab.
Here's what happened.

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 breaks, skidded,
and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.
And I mean, he was friendly.
So, I said, "Why did you just do that?
This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"
And this is when my taxi driver told me what I
now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

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.
You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.
You'll be happy you did.
So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck."
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me?
And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people:
at work, at home, on the streets?
It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."

I began to see garbage trucks.
Like in the movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People."
Well, now "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.

One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton,
did this every day on the
football field.
He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled.
He never dwelled on a hit.
Payton was ready to make the next play his best.
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting.
Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home
from school with hugs and kisses.
Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present,
and at their best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people

do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day.
What about you?
What would happen in your life, starting today,
if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here's my bet.
You'll be happier.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so..
Love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe that everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance , TAKE IT!
If it changes your life , LET IT!
Nobody said it would be easy...
They just promised it would be worth it!

When man remembers his spiritual connection to All That Is, he lives in a most joyous state, wherever he is, whatever he is doing

Remember . . .

That which is meant to be yours will come to you. Just as those of you who are aligned with the highest good will eventually experience your highest ideal, so shall your daily needs be met. You need never worry about your survival because there was a special mechanism put into place long ago which regulates and guarantees that everything you need will be there for you in the exact moment that you need it. Oftentimes it will not appear until the instant before it is needed, but you may be assured that while you are waiting you are being strengthened. As you learn to trust in this wondrous process, the obstacles and hardships of life fall by the wayside and are replaced by a serenity that knows no limit.

These times of great upheaval are truly gifts unto you. You are constantly surrounded by an environment that is conducive for bringing out your most fulfilling form of expression. Your ego, the part of you which is in service to yourself, is giving way to a much larger, grander you'the you that is in service to others. You are blossoming in all your glory, and it is this blossoming that you have always longed for. Be open, be available, and, in the meantime, be at peace. Your prayers and intentions are all being answered.

My intention for today is:
I intend that the Sweetest Love imaginable, like a torrent of rushing water, washes simultaneously over and through the hearts of every man, woman, and child who walk this Earth. And I intend, from that moment of Grace forward, that all seven billion of us have a reference point to remind us of how good life can be when we are filled, to the brim, with Love.