Road Kill Lady

Hola!

My face when this realization hit... 

I need to tell you a story. Well, first I'd like to ask you this: Have you ever made fun of someone and then eventually ended up exactly like that person? 

I have... and I just realized it.

At 12-years-old I moved to Oregon and lived out in the country. My parents fly for a living so my brother and I had a lot of nannies and babysitters. One of my first babysitters was actually my 18-year-old neighbor named Audrey. At 7-something-AM in the morning on our drive to Crossler Middle School we'd always pass by this elderly woman dressed in a bright yellow vest, carrying a trash bag, and a trash-picker-upper-thingy.

Me: What is she doing?
Audrey: Picking up road kill.
Me: Really?!
Audrey: No. *laughs* But that's what I like to call her: Road Kill Lady. She just picks up trash.

At the time, I thought this was nice, but definitely weird.
For six years I'd always see this mysterious Road Kill Lady and smile and wave to her on my drive to school, never realizing I'd become just like her one day.

So, I have this problem--well, let me rephrase that because it isn't really a problem--I just have a very difficult time passing by trash without picking it up. I like to volunteer with SOLVE a lot and help clean up the beaches and streets. I'm volunteering for the Hood to Coast Race where I will be helping out with the trash clean-up, which as weird as it may sound really excites me!

June 4th was my birthday, very recent, and my friends got me the best gift ever! Before I opened my gift my friends told me that I was probably the only person they knew who would want this gift. They got me a bright yellow vest (WITH. MY. NAME. ON. IT. BTW.), a trash-picker-upper-thingy, and a donut from Blue Star Donuts, which was mind-blowing!

Me opening up my card. Having no idea what awesomeness I was about to receive. 

The bright yellow vest with my name on it! 

I have the best friends! They bought me the best gift ever. 

Well, after my first outing with my gear, I was really surprised by the strange looks I received from people. A girl picking up trash? Well, clearly we should stay away from her because she is doing her community service time after doing something bad. I'm not exaggerating, I got the meanest looks from people. Here is an actual conversation I had with a woman.

Woman: What are you--are you picking up trash?
Me: Yes!
Woman: Why? 
Me: Because I like to! Also, it really bugs me if I walk pass trash without picking it up. Like it will haunt me for days.
Woman: (Looks at me weird at first & then smiles) Well, you can pick up trash around here any time you'd like!

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you... the next Road Kill Lady.

When I came back to my apartment and thought about all the weird looks I received for doing something good I suddenly thought: Oh crap... I'm Road Kill Lady. 
And then I laughed over how this story came full circle.
No matter the weather or how many weird looks she received Road Kill Lady kept on picking up trash day after day year after year because it was the right thing to do. I guess after seeing her every day picking up trash seeped into my subconscious and turned me into the compulsive trash cleaning person that I am today.
Like Road Kill Lady, I shouldn't mind the looks because maybe the more I do this the more it will become normal and then, just then, maybe it will inspire others to pick up trash on a regular basis.

So, in short, thank you Road Kill Lady. I don't know your name or--yikes!--if you're even still alive, but thank you so much for inspiring me!

How about you?
Do you have a similar karmic story?
Please share!

Blog to you later!
Love,
Manders

P.S.
I found this and I can't stop laughing.