After a two-year hiatus, spring clean-up returned this week.
Two years ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, when we didn’t know what was going on and were afraid to leave our houses or talk to anyone lest they be contagious and susceptible to spreading the virus, the program was halted.
But here we are, the end of March, emptying the storage and cleaning the garage, hoping that what has become a burden for me, becomes a useful item for someone else.
There’s an old Army and Navy ad that reminds me of spring clean-up. A lady leaving the store is asked, ‘Do you shop at Army and Navy?’
‘No,’ she replies.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’ Too bad she’s carrying a couple A&N bags in her hands. Busted.
Spring clean-up is a little like that. Few want to admit to picking up something alongside the road, but I’m not afraid to say it – I saw lots of other people picking stuff up. Not me, them.
When my kids were younger, we had a great time driving around looking for a diamond in the piles. Some of their most treasured toys were ‘recycled’, and when they grew out of them, we cleaned them up and put them out for another excited child to enjoy. It felt just as good giving it away as it did finding it in the first place.
But, again, that was them picking up stuff. Not me.
I was out walking the dog with my wife this past weekend and we ran into some neighbours. As we chatted about all the stuff that was out, my neighbour said ‘I wonder if someone could outfit an apartment with the stuff they find?’ Knowing what we’ve put at the curb, I’m sure someone could. It won’t rival any of the home improvement shows, but it is better in someone else’s hands instead of the landfill.
The rain put a bit of a damper on the fun over the weekend, as there weren’t as many people participating as before, but it was good to see it back, even though I was just noticing things as I was driving somewhere else. Very slowly.
Then I stopped for fuel, and realized how expensive it can be looking for free stuff.
Not that I’m looking…
Brad Sherwin, MBA is a long-time resident of South Delta, and has over 30 years’ experience in marketing, public relations and business strategy. He teaches post-secondary marketing, coaches hockey goalies and is Past President of Deltassist.
