It's their income

8.7.2015
The brutal Arizona summer heat and humidity wears on.

I never noticed them as much as I do now.  "Them" are the dumpster divers.  Maybe it's because there are 6 dumpster locations around the complex and maybe because it's not a gated community, but there seems to be more of "them."

Dirty and sweaty, digging around the dumpsters, pulling out the aluminum cans and throwing the cans in a pile. Ping...dig dig, rummage, rummage, ping, ping, ping, rummage rummage rummage and finally, gathering the cans up and stuffing their bags full.

Most of them have bikes, dirty little bikes which show the wear and tear of hauling around whatever booty is to be found.  One fellow has a tricycle with a nice little orange flag, which is, you guessed it, filthy.  He's a pleasant fellow and when our paths cross, he always gives me a nice hello with a smile that shows some of the wear and tear too.

There is one older guy who actually drives a nice truck, and he is not dirty like the other's.  I've seen him haul away some nice little appliances and furniture which the tenants have disregarded.
I watched another guy kick the crap out of TV set one Sunday morning.  This guy I avoid, he talks to himself, and seems a little unstable, or maybe he's tweaking on drugs, but either way, I avoid him.

They have a schedule too.  Early mornings, they try to beat the heat and each other to the dumpsters.  Sunday morning and evenings are popular because of the Saturday parties and the many beer cans which will fill their bags and bikes.  Monday mornings seem to be popular too, and I'm sure when football season starts, it will be a free for all.

Every weekday morning, I head off to work, lugging my laptop bag and my dirty little lunch box. I usually walk by one of "them," and every now and then, our eyes will meet and with the typical good morning hello smile, I hope they know I respect "them" and what they do just to live, just to eat, and just to survive.

Then I'm off..... to think and ponder....and sit in a little square cube, tap tap tap tap....typing away with my head phones on, blocking out the other people, typing away on their keyboards.  Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap....Ping...Ping....the elevator has arrived with more of them to join in the tapping.

Superstition Mountains AZ