This morning, my husband and I found real purpose to wake before the sun since it’s garbage day. He rolled out of bed and then rolled the blue blue garbage bin in the dark, to its home, at the end of the driveway awaiting pick up from the Big Blue Truck. Even though there have been no signs of our friendly black bears’ wake from slumber, we don’t take chances. Once you’ve had the contents of your entire weekly garbage supply thrashed around the driveway and pulled into the woods, you learn quickly. As the Big Blue Truck came by this morning, our family reminisced about the story behind the unique name given to the sanitation truck years ago. Here goes…

Years ago, when our toddler son was struggling to give up his passionate pacifier, we were struggling as parents to ween him off of this sucker. With only three Nuks left in our household supply, my husband told the toddler one morning, we lost one because the Big, Blue Truck took it. Ben’s face was stone cold sober and uncertain about this news, but clung to the other two Nuks and went about his day. As another week passed, that darn truck took another Nuk! This loss was a little more emotional for boy and mother knowing the end was near. Father stayed stern.

Once the Big Blue Truck came by on the third week, and took the last Nuk, the emotions in the house were real but oddly so for Daddy. At bedtime, my husband put our son to bed Nuk-free while I was downstairs with the newborn (yes, I often give my husband the tough jobs but I had just given birth three months earlier!). As my husband came downstairs, I noticed teary eyes (It should be noted, at this point in our marriage, I had never seen tears from my husband…ever) and felt the pang in his heart. He said Ben was so calm and understanding but so sad. Our big boy went to bed without his Nuk for the first time and Daddy cried for the first time in front of Mommy!

It took a few years for Ben to accept the Big Blue Truck as an ally and not an enemy. If fact, the same thing happened to both sisters, and he was able to console them with their loss due to the Big Blue Truck.