Step 45: Give to the Earth and the Earth Will Give Back

I hostessed at P.F. Chang's today. My shift started at 4:30. Not a lot of people get dinner around then, so naturally, it was slow. To keep busy, I snacked on food, wiped things down that were already clean, folded napkins, and performed other mindless tasks- basically anything to keep myself from falling asleep.

While looking for pointless chores, I noticed a small trash tornado was cycloning about on the patio. Large pieces of styrofoam had been caught in our gates along with receipts, newspapers, packing peanuts, and candy wrappers, and it was all blowing about with a bunch of dead leaves. I was mesmerized by the spinning garbage.

I decided to sweep it up. I marched outside with my broom and dustpan and began to sweep. Because the wind was blowing so fiercely, I struggled to sweep the garbage into the dust pan. I would think I finally had a trash particle in my grasp only to see it swept into the air and out of my reach. My coworkers had gathered at the door to laugh at me.

I brought in heap after heap of trash, and my fellow workers continued to taunt me. As I went back out to the patio for a final sweep, I felt pretty sheepish. I did sort of look like a trash-loving fool out here chasing this garbage around. Why was I doing this? And then, the heavens opened up and the earth paid me for services rendered. That's right, I'm talking money. I found a 10 dollar bill blowing about in the leaves. A small fortune.

Give to the earth and she will give back. And all of you butt holes at work can suck it.