Rubbish Rumble
We are having a big issue about garbage.
We’ve had problems about garbage before. You see nobody wants to take responsibility for the garbage meaning nobody wants to take it out even though it’s brimming full. Our garbage then cultivates a whole community of maggots making it less likely for someone to take the garbage out. This has happened a lot of times that the fact that we haven’t fought about it is amazing.
It was then that I devised a solution to our garbage issue. At that time, Ryan and I are the usual people who take the garbage out. Ate Mic is usually home by four or five and by then, the garbage people are nowhere to be found. So I just said that Ryan, Aaron and I would alternately take the garbage out and Ate Mic would be the one to buy the garbage bag. It all seemed fair and it was working.
Until now.
The facts:
August 4, Saturday: I took out the garbage. Time for a new garbage bag.
August 7, Tuesday: Although not yet full, I closed the bag because a few more days and maggots would start to camp. I told Aaron that it was his turn to throw it out.
August 8, Wednesday: Aaron arrived before 12 and said that he can’t take the garbage out because he can’t find the garbage people anymore. He promised he’d arrive home early Wednesday to take it out. Although I think he can still throw the garbage out and he just has to look for the garbage people, I didn’t say anything because he promised he’d throw it out by the next day.
August 9, Thursday: Aaron arrived late again. The garbage just stayed there.
August 10, Friday: Hello Maggots!
August 11, Saturday: Hello Even Bigger, Nastier Maggots!
Before noon, I told Ryan to text Ate Mic – to buy new garbage bags, and Aaron – to take out the trash.
By 5 pm, Ate Mic sent out a text message to all three of us though the message is just intended for Aaron. It said something about Aaron being responsible and accountable. Minutes later, Aaron sent out a message saying that we (meaning Ryan and I) should have taken responsibility for the garbage because it was collectively our garbage and if he can’t find the garbage people by the time he gets home, our garbage would just have to wait. He then went on saying that there were times that he was the one who took the garbage out even though it wasn’t his ‘turn’ yet and that he didn’t say anything about it. There.
My point(s):
1. I devised that system because I don’t want to always be the one to take the garbage out. I never want to hear something like “You’re here everyday, why don’t you take the garbage out?” Yes, I can do that. I can do everything around the house because I am here and everybody else arrives tired from work. I can definitely do that but I don’t want to be any body’s maid. We share this apartment, everything in it. It just follows that we divide all responsibilities that come along with it.
2. Yes, we could have taken the garbage out but I personally didn’t want to. It’s not because I am lazy ( I am though, at times). We have a system and all four of us have been carrying out our responsibilities and I don’t want to take somebody else’s responsibility without him acknowledging that it is his responsibility first. I thought that if I just take it out then Aaron would be free of it without ever acknowledging that it is his responsibility. I’m confusing, I know.
It’s like this – if you are responsible for something, you would actually make sure that it is taken care of even if you are not there to personally handle it. If it’s a pet, you’d make sure that somebody else would feed it. If it’s a child, you would make sure that somebody else would pick him up from school and bring him home.
If you were responsible for something, you would remember it, realize that you can’t do it and take the time out to find somebody who can. That was all I was waiting for – a simple message that could have gone something like this: “Shayne, I might be late and I can’t take the trash out. Can you please take it out this time and I’ll just take your turn. Thanks.”
That would be being responsible. That would be acting like an adult.
Not saying anything about it and hoping that somebody else would take up the responsibility after you is.. well, the opposite of above.
I know that I am not really in a position to write about this. I ran from responsibilities before and until now, it causes me shame. But I am somehow changing and doing my best to be an adult when it comes to responsibilities.
It might just be trash but if you can’t even be responsible about throwing out garbage, how can you be trusted with anything else?
grabe ha…