Just pick up the trash

Most days I go for a walk along our road. If Tom is home and not busy, he joins me. About once a week, I take along a plastic bag and a gopher-picker-upper and collect trash along the side of the road. This morning Tom went into Baraboo, and I was on my own. I picked up a plastic grocery bag full of garbage before I had made it to the end of the road and back. Mostly beer cans, but a fair number of M&M bags (?), fast food cups and styrofoam boxes and cigarette packs.

As I was doing this, my head began to fill with resentments about the people who drive down our lovely wooded country road and decide that it is okay to leave their garbage behind. I began to compose self-righteous blogs and so on. As is my virtuous wont.

Then I remembered, why don't I just pick up the trash and keep my mind clear instead of letting the trash fill my mind with toxic litter? One of the neighbors had stopped her car and thanked me for cleaning up. I smiled and said, "I'm walking this way anyway."

I need to remember that. I was walking to exercise a bit and to clear my head. Instead I was picking up roadside clutter and putting it into the bag AND into my head.

Reminds me of the Buddhist story:

Two monks, going to a neighboring monastery, walked side by side in silence. They arrived at a river they had to cross. That season, waters were higher than usual. On the bank, a young woman was hesitating and asked the younger of the two monks for help. He exclaimed, 'Don't you see that I am a monk, that I took a vow of chastity?'

'I require nothing from you that could impede your vow, but simply to help me to cross the river,' replied the young woman with a little smile.

'I...not...I can...do nothing for you,' said the embarrassed young monk.

'It doesn't matter,' said the elderly monk. 'Climb on my back and we will cross together.'

Having reached the other bank, the old monk put down the young woman who, in return, thanked him with a broad smile. She left her side and both monks continued their route in silence. Close to the monastery, the young monk could not stand it anymore and said, 'You shouldn't have carried that person on your back. It's against our rules.'

'This young woman needed help and I put her down on the other bank. You didn't carry her at all, but she is still on your back,' replied the older monk.

I need to put the trash in the bag and then let go.