When We Work Together

One day last summer, Nick took the kids to play at the park.  The town had recently removed all the gravel from the playground, and replaced it with recycled shredded tires.  Although this was met with some resistance, we weren't too worried about it.  That changed after Nick and the kids actually played in it.  As the day got warmer, the rubber heated up, and started getting stickier and stinkier.  It was sticking to Christian, and by the time they left, Nick had a horrible headache.  We understood then why people had protested.

The outrage of many, and the hard work of a few, eventually led the town to agree to switch back to gravel on the playground.  There was one stipulation.  We, the townspeople, had to raise the money for the new gravel, and remove all the tire shreds.  The town agreed to provide the trucks to haul the discarded rubber away.  It was a major victory, but there was a lot of work ahead.  Due to a lot of work by a couple of local moms, bake sales were organized, radio interviews were broadcast, and the information was spread.  I, like many others, baked breads and cookies, and solicited donations and promises to help.  Hard work paid off, and the money to buy the gravel was raised.  This week, as spring was making herself known, the time to remove the stinky rubber had finally come.

Starting yesterday, mom's and concerned citizens, gathered to clear away the tire shreds.  I managed to get a couple of hours free to sweep and shovel, and it felt wonderful to know I was a part of something so big.  I was a very tiny facet of a much larger gem, and as I looked around the park, at the work that had been done so far, I marveled at what it meant; That people can make a difference in the world around them.  With a little hard work tomorrow, the tire shreds will all be gone, the new gravel will be poured, and the park will once again be a wonderful place to play.  I am proud to say I helped make this happen, and I am honored to call the women who lit this fire under all of us, my friends.  This is what can happen when people work together, and it is the definition of beauty.

No more tires.

Hard work, totally worth it