The amazing life of Kenny the bin man

Kenny’s day in the cleansing department is usually hard work, grubby and smelly, especially when he is emptying the garden bins.

But when I asked him how his day had been, he grinned and said: “Brilliant.”

As he had been

JIMMY used to use Facebook to let off steam about the weather, his work, politics.

And he started getting into arguments over more and more of his opinions. Going online became less pleasurable and more annoying.

So, then he thought he’d try something different. He put more care into what went on his page. If it was just him complaining it was left off.

Wonderful things he had seen began to take over. He acquired a whole new group of friends and going online was fun again.

“It’s a simple thing,” he told me, “but it worked so well that now I want to see if I can do the same thing in real life.”

Well, there’s a thought! struggling to get two of the heavier bins on to the back of the refuse truck, he had noticed a two-year old boy watching him, entranced.

Then the man Kenny assumed was the boy’s granddad shouted, “Hey!” over the noise of the engine. He pointed to the little lad and added: “He thinks you are amazing!”

“It’s funny how light the bins seemed for the rest of the day,” Kenny laughed. “Once I knew I was amazing!”

Sometimes we just need someone to point it out!

JUNE gets to and from her flat via a communal stairwell. Yesterday, she found a neighbour sitting on the stairs. Just sitting there. She doesn’t know the neighbour but she does know the woman has a chaotic family life.

June didn’t want to intrude and didn’t really know what to say anyway. So she took a mint from her bag and offered it.

“She looked at me like I had just done something shocking,” June told me. “Then she smiled and said, ‘Thanks. I really needed that.’” What do you suppose she meant? Perhaps sometimes we just need to know the world isn’t out to take everything from us – that someone is willing to give something to us. Even if it is only a mint!

Rain rattles on the pane, Clouds hang heavy and grey, Frowning folk hurry by,

So dismal is the day; Suddenly the sun appears, Then a smalll patch of blue, Clouds roll away and leave,

A day all fresh and new.