True story: dumpster diving

 

I’ve told you guys, that I don’t drink anymore, but that doesn’t mean everything I do is sane. Here’s what happened several months ago.

 

A friend was moving, and asked if I could gather some boxes for her. I said, “Sure.” So while Matt and I were running errands, we also hunted for boxes. Most of you might know, that liquor store dumpsters can be full of boxes.

 

Matt paid his phone bill, then we went across the street, so I could look in the Holiday Liquor’s dumpster. Luckily I found a slightly broken chair, that I could use. After I set the chair in front of the dumpster and stepped on it, I was able to reach one box. I tossed it outside, then looked for more. It was a veritable gold mine of boxes.

 

I decided to climb in and help my self. After throwing twenty or so outside, I turned to climb out and realized I made a mistake. I stood shoulder high to the top edge of the opening, wondering how to get out. Ten or twenty years ago, I would have easily been able to get out.

 

Matt sat in the car with a big smile on his face. He laughed and laughed, but didn’t get out to help. To be perfectly honest, he probably couldn’t do much anyway, since he’s eighty-eight years old. I’m just glad he didn’t take any pictures.

 

I turned around and started to gather bags of trash and stacked them in the corner near the chair. Every two bags or so, I stood on them to pack them down.

 

As luck would have it, a friend was in the liquor store. He also doesn’t drink, so as he was walking out, he said, “Jim, I swear I’m not drinking, I’m playing Keno. I SWEAR!”

 

I said, “Hey buddy. How ya doin’?”

 

“Fine, but how are you? What are you doing in there?”

 

I pointed to the boxes and replied, “I’m helping a friend move.”

 

We stood there and talked for thirty seconds or so, when he mentioned, “A friend at the next table yelled, there’s a guy in the dumpster. I came over to look and said, I know him.” So I came out to see if I can help.

 

I then continued to pile bags of trash in the corner, till it was high enough to climb out. Although, I still needed help to steady myself on his shoulder.

 

Nice to have friends scattered through out town to help, when needed.

 

Later, at Starbucks, when I told the story, another friend laughed saying, “I’ll bet, in all your years drinking, that never happened to you.” I thought, how true that statement was.