Bob was a cheerful Council worker. He loved his job sweeping the footpaths of the leafy St Peters. His greatest joy was autumn when he got to use the mechanical sweeper up and down the avenues of plane trees.
We saw him early one autumn morning when the sky was that golden pumpkin colour. His hands were gripped on the steering wheel, his eyes focussed on the footpath as he manoeuvred around the trees, with the brushes twirling.
He was doing a fabulous job as the leaves disappeared from beneath him.
What he did not realise was that he had not adjusted the air intake pipe. It stretched up behind him like an organ pipe – right up into the leaves still clinging tenuously to the trees. Just as fast as he was gathering fallen leaves, he was a creating a new carpet behind him.
Sometimes it pays to look behind to see where we’ve been as well as look forward to where we are going.
Sharonne P