Joy in a dirty place

I found work before my husband. That's just how things happened. So unfortunately for him, he was forced to live the dream of every red-blooded 34 year old male, and become a temporary house husband.  So yes, it was awful at times, frustrating, and our cat was really starting to get peeved about being woken up during his afternoon naps. But then something happened. Something that would begin as just an ordinary day, but turn into something much more magical. Our trash and recycling had been piling up into embarrassing hoard-like mountains. And of course, stupid us had been waiting ever-so-patiently for our new town's loveable barrel-throwing trash men to arrive and empty them.  But as the weeks came and went and that oh-so-pleasant screech of the early morning trash truck never once tickled our eardrums, we knew something was up.  That's when we unfortunately discovered that our town required its residents to take matters into their own hands and take their trash to the dreaded dump. OK, I know what you're thinking, who freaking cares and why the hell are you writing about the town dump? Ok, keep reading, I'm about to get to the interesting part.

So with me of course being gone all day at work, and my husband tending to the household (poor guy), it was naturally now his job to find this damn "transfer" station and get all our junk over to it. But little did I know, that as I left that morning watching him curse and struggle with those annoying little trash bag twist ties, that when I returned, he'd be a changed man.

I remember getting home from work that day and coming into the house, honestly expecting to get an earful of what a burden this trash thing was going to be on our daily lives. But instead, as I walked in, there was this gigantic smile running across my husband's face and a tale so exciting it instantly made me question his sanity. He basically told me that he had had the time of his life at a place that smelled of rotten milk and eggs. Really? I had to see, and maybe smell it, to believe it.

So that weekend we went. And I watched as my husband waved to the guard like they were old war buddies, then saw his face light up the moment we entered those golden brown trashed filled gates. But really, it was a town dump.  That's all it was, right? But then something weird happened. As I opened my door, I suddenly heard the sounds of oldies music flowing through the air like a pleasant summer breeze.  And as I stepped out even further, I noticed that everybody around me was, you're not going to believe this, they were actually smiling! I soon realized that this was all due to those jolly old men who proudly made up the dump work force; a bunch of retirees who had all of us dumpers talking and laughing like we were special guests at some bizarre trash-themed party. But then, as I looked around at the countless families and couples removing bag after bag of toys, clothes, trash, and whatever else they could out of their ever-so-tightly packed vehicles, it suddenly hit me why this place had felt so special to my husband.

These people were all cleansing their homes of unwanted junk. While at the same time, letting go of all those precious things that they'd become much too emotionally attached to. Things they've probably held onto for most of their life, and for no good reason except that maybe somebody they love gave it to them. Maybe that shirt or teddy bear had a way of bringing them back to a happier place. Whatever it was, the moment they dropped it down into that endless bin, knowing they would never ever in their lifetime set eyes on it again, they were doing something really huge.  They were letting go of a part of their life.  

So as we got back into our car after parting with so much of the things we had held dear for way too long, it honestly felt like my husband and I had somehow connected on a whole new level. A level I didn't even know existed. And as we started to drive away, my husband suddenly reached over and gave me the most loving quick kiss on the lips, paused then said "I told you this place was wonderful."