Why am I always the youngest person at the recycling center? or How the library saves me the cost of antidepressants
Posted by Breeze on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 7:09 pmCategory: Breeze
Every week, on our way to the library’s story time, Tulip, Smiley Face, and I drop in to the recycling center. We drop off the week’s plastics, glass, mixed paper, cardboard and cans in no time flat, thanks to our nifty laundry basket sorting system. Then it’s off to grab a large coffee and an unglazed donut from Dunkin’ Donuts. Tulip and I split the old-fashioned in our weekly ritual, but the java’s all for Mama. We pass the ubiquitous Starbucks, but at our place we can have a donut and still come out over a buck cheaper than just coffee at Star$$$$. Next it’s over to the neighborhood library to listen to Mother Goose (at least that was her Halloween costume) for a half hour, do a little story-related craft, and visit the kid’s section for as long as everyone is happy.
I adore the kid’s section. It’s blocked off enough that I feel safe letting the Tulip run for it while I scan the new release shelf at a slow walk as I follow. This weekly trip is one of my built in sanity-saving, Tulip-entertaining, break times. I relax a bit while Smiley plays with the library toys and Tulip enjoys everything the library has to offer. Once we make it to the kiddie section, she’s free to wander around, pull books that look good, and make friends while Smiley Face plays and I do a more thorough scan for our week’s bedtime story fare.
That may sound like no big deal to more relaxed parents, but I if I had an action figure, she’d be Kidnapping Paranoia Mom. I have some serious anxiety about it, so for me to let my pre-schooler more than arm’s reach away in public is a major indication of how comfortable I find the library. It helps that Mother Goose is always between us and the exit and that she and her librarian posse all know our little trio by name. At any rate, I try to chill out a little there because I don’t want Tulip to know her mother is a quivering ball of fear inside. Yeah, Mom’s nutso at the grocery store, but she’s so normal at the library that she must not be insane, see?
Another reason we go to the library is that I cannot take reading the same old books over and over again. We need the free books or we’d go bankrupt and deforest the northern hemisphere with all the books Tulip and I require. We like (and occasionally hug) trees, not to mention Tulip’s college fund, so we go to the library, by way of the recycling center.
That was my half-hearted attempt to get back to the title question. Were you impressed?
Seriously, though, why am I lucky to see someone within 20 years of my age at the recycling center? It has been months since I saw someone I was pretty sure was not retired while dumping my bins. Someone please tell me that there are people who are not eligible for AARP out there who recycle. Do only the grandparents and great-grandparents in Tennessee care about the natural resources we will be leaving our children?
Tags: green, Sanity Saver
November 10th, 2007 20:39
a) I’d like to take a little credit for pressuring you into the return to recycling.
b) I hope (and suspect) some places are a little better at this than knoxville.
c) Only retired people (and SAHMs) are free during the day…so maybe you’re just missing the recycling center at it’s peak. It’s probably an afterschool hangout for teenagers.
February 1st, 2008 07:51
My first respone - my first time on your blog - ok ANY blog. I see the appeal, you are fun to read.
On recycling - I support the time of day argument. We have to do weekends because I work and at the Bearden Kroger I see like-aged souls dumping their wares.