Law of the Garbage Truck

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12 NKJV)
The following came to us in an email and it illustrates this Bible verse very well. It is called The Law of the Garbage Truck. 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, you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on what’s important in your life. Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And 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 the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck." He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around with 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 sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it on you. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You will be happy you did. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. It was the day I decided, I ain't gonna do it anymore. I began to see garbage trucks. Like the movie 'The sixth sense' the little boy said, "I see dead people". Well now, "I see garbage trucks". I see the loads they carry. I see them coming to dump it. And, like my taxi driver, I don't fret. I just smile, wish and wave and move on. Roy Baumeister, a psychology researcher from Florida State University, found in his extensive research that we remember bad things more often than good things in our life. We store the bad memories more easily, and we recall them more frequently. So the odds are against you when a Garbage Truck comes your way. But when you follow The Law of the Garbage Truck™, you take back control of your life. You make room for the good by letting go of the bad. The best leaders know that they have to be ready for their next meeting. The best sales people know that they have to be ready for their next client. And the best parents know that they have to be ready to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses, no matter how many garbage trucks they might have faced that day. All of us know that we have to be fully present, and at our best for the people we 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 garbage trucks pass by. "Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't." Love, Beau