I visualize me smiling, and I feel happy as I imagine money coming to me. What I realize, though, is it comes in all different ways--we just have to look. Sometimes, we might get a nudge from a little voice in our head that we have to take action.
In my case, I started taking beer bottles, aluminum cans and plastic water bottles to the Recycling Center. I realized that it is actually a fun thing to do. You see all types of people. There's the homeless guy riding up on his rusty old Schwinn with three garbage bags filled with whatever he picked out of trash bins. Then there's the dad who pulls up in his BMW SUV with his three children. The kids are boys or girls ranging from ages 7 to 12. I also see the Mexican families who come with several bags of various recycling items. The money from recycling adds to their family income, which they desperately need. Then there are people like me. As I stand in line, I see and experience camraderie-we are sharing a common experience. People help others unload their bags or give them a hand. I've even had someone share some of their recycling goodies with me. Another thing is that no one cares about getting dirty or the messiness of the act of recycling. Maybe people inherently feel that by recycling they're connecting to the Earth.
So, after separating, pouring and plodding along in the line, I reach the register. I am handed a five, four ones and three dimes. I smile because I was expecting less, and I am grateful because going to the Recycling Center is really just an amazing act of giving and receiving.
