Even the small favors are a big help

I was taking the week’s recycling to the county landfill when a school bus turned onto the road in front of me. Driving slowly behind a bus isn’t an issue for me, but today this meant I was not going to reach the dump before closing time. I ended up at the gate about five minutes after 4 PM. (the photo is of a dirt road opposite the one leading to the landfill)

Luckily, the gatekeeper was still sitting in his truck at the landfill entrance, which meant I could plead my case. I told him that I had recycling to get rid of. “You know where it goes?” he asked. “Yep, drop-off number two,” I replied. He stared at me for a moment, then nodded his head towards the gate. “Alright, go on in.”

Allowing me in after hours to discard all the paper and plastic in my backseat was not something this man had to do. As favors go, it was probably a small one; I doubt that keeping the gate open for another two minutes was much of an inconvenience for him, especially since there was still a commercial garbage truck inside. Nevertheless, it was a kindness, one that made me smile.