Met a guy on my morning loop who collects bottle caps for his grandkid

I was walking the trail around Miller Park yesterday and saw this older guy with a plastic bag, picking something up off the ground. I asked what he was looking for, and he said 'bottle caps for my grandson's art project, we're at 247 now.' He showed me a few cool old ones, like a root beer brand I hadn't seen in years. We walked together for about ten minutes just talking about the weird stuff people leave behind. It was such a simple, nice moment that stuck with me all day. Anyone else ever meet someone on a walk who just made your morning better?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendysanchez25d ago

Honestly, that kind of thing makes me a little sad. I see people picking up trash all the time, and it’s mostly bottle caps and cigarette butts. It shows how careless we are. That grandpa is doing a sweet thing, but he’s only out there because people just toss their garbage. I found a whole beer bottle in the kids’ sandbox last week. It’s nice that he finds a use for it, but the whole situation is pretty disappointing.

anthony_campbell8825d ago

Maybe it's because I clean up messes for a living, but I see that grandpa's bag of caps as a win. He's turning someone else's litter into a fun project with his grandson. The world's always gonna have trash, but finding a use for it beats just being mad about it. That connection he's making is what actually matters.

the_max25d ago

Ngl, I get what @wendysanchez is saying about the litter being a downer, but I look at it the other way. That grandpa isn't just cleaning up a problem, he's making something new out of it. It's like finding an old board on the side of the road and building a birdhouse instead of just seeing junk. The mess is already there, but he's choosing to make it into a cool memory with his grandson. That feels more powerful to me than just being bummed about the trash.