More From the Mailbag

This is one of those chain letters that you get from well meaning friends. Most times there's not a lot to commend passing it on, but when I got this one today, I was surprised to find it very meaningful and so well attributed and documented on the web.

It made me think about the garbage trucks right here in town. We're all guilty of it from time to time, but there are some who have raised sanitation engineering to an art.

Beware of Garbage Trucks

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

Here's what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face.

Now, here's what blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck™."

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you.

When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did. I guarantee it.

So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck™." I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."

I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People." Well now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here's my bet. You'll be happier. I guarantee it.

Beware of Garbage Trucks ™
© David J. Pollay
HappyNews Columnist
Updated: 9/24/2007

Comics From the Mailbag

In consideration of your blog entry http://savethemorrisvilleschool.blogspot.com/2008/07/big-lie-and-budgets.html

And in response to the posters request of“I loved the idea of seeing the company prez with a swollen head”, I offer the attached.

Bridge Street Improvements

Upgrade to downtown coming...

New traffic signals, curbs, sidewalks included in $1.54 million project
By DANNY ADLER

New traffic signals, new curbs and sidewalks, and freshly painted crosswalks are coming to Bridge Street and South Pennsylvania Avenue as part of a $1.54 million improvement project in Morrisville, officials said.

The borough will hold a groundbreaking ceremony next week to mark the beginning of “this important community initiative,” which is being paid for by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. The bridge commission began awarding the borough money in 2005 to improve traffic conditions and “walkability” and foster downtown revitalization.

The funds are part of $40 million in grants going to towns along the Delaware River with bridge commission bridges stretching from Morrisville to the New York border, the bridge commission has said.

The project will bring new curbs, sidewalks and crosswalks on West Bridge Street from Pennsylvania to Cox avenues and on South Pennsylvania Avenue from Bridge Street to Philadelphia Avenue, officials said.

New traffic signals will be installed at the intersections of Delmorr Avenue and Bridge Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue and Bridge Street. A landscaped median island is planned for East Bridge Street from the Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge — the “Trenton Makes The World Takes” bridge — to Delmorr Avenue.

“It will make it much more pedestrian friendly and safer,” borough council President Nancy Sherlock said of the improvements. “It’s definitely a safety issue as well as a beautification issue.”

Work on curbs and sidewalks on South Pennsylvania Avenue under the railroad bridge already has begun, borough Manager George Mount said. Work on West Bridge Street will begin soon, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of August or early September, he said.

The groundbreaking takes place at 11 a.m. July 30 at the Mill Stone at the corner of East Bridge Street and North Delmorr Avenue.