Nate got a new experience yesterday.

He got to watch the man come and suck out the septic tank.

It’s good to know that pooping has repercussions.

There isn’t a magic fairy who comes and takes it all away.

It’s a guy with a big-tanked pooh-pumping truck who comes to get it every 10 years.

We weren’t having issues or anything….it had just been a really long time since the tank had been pumped….and I felt like it was time to have it done again….and…I thought it would be a really teachable moment to have with my young son.

Most of it was me trying to impress on him what a pain in the rear it would be if he dropped any of the tools down into the pooh chamber.

That’s a lesson: “Don’t drop tools into the pooh chamber.”

What a weird lesson.

It’s good to know what happens to things that we produce that need to be disposed of.

When (and we don’t have one….but) you use a garbage disposal, the waste goes away like magic.

Where does it go?

Downstream?

When you have a man come and take your trash away, you don’t give it a second thought.

If you know that it’s “away”….well, that’s far enough.

That’s not good, really.

We need at least a little bit of awareness of what our actions cost the environment.

Of course, there is a tanker truck full of what used to be down in that dark place we call our septic tank going who knows where….and I don’t give it much of a second thought.

I let the mystery be when it comes to our old pooh going away.

Nate and I don’t need to know about everything.

Sometimes it’s enough to just wave goodbye.

 

“let the mystery be” Iris Dement