While running around the neighborhood this morning, I spied a dilapidated pick-up truck creeping along the road. When the vehicle stopped, a woman hopped out of the vehicle, a black trashbag in one hand and a metal grasper in the other.

It was trash day today. Parked in front of every house were several bins. The blue ones contain recyclable items only.

She walked up to the row of bins, flipped open the lid for the blue container, and proceeded to rummage through its contents. Occasionally, she plucked out an item and dropped it unceremoniously into the waiting trash bag. The resulting metallic clatter revealed that she was retrieving aluminum cans.

Once satisfied, she returned to the waiting truck and hopped back inside. Sometimes, she placed the clattering bag into the bed of the truck; sometimes the bag sat with her in the front seat.

A tired-looking man slouched inside on the driver’s side.

It was not yet 7:00am, though the sky was already glowing yellow-pink around the grey marine layer to herald the rising sun. A chilly breeze (by Orange County standards) was coming in from the ocean. Several mini-vans, large trucks, and SUVs rolled past, the drivers already wearing sunglasses and stern expressions on their faces.

I passed the woman several times during my run. I worried about her: If the owner of a house happened to step outside and notice her digging through his recycling bin, what would he do? Would he yell at her? Ignore her completely? Shake his head with disappointment or disgust? Mutter obscenities under his breath?

On the other hand, she wasn’t engaging in anything criminal. The owner of the house had disposed of these items; he clearly didn’t feel the need or have the desire to save the cans to secure a few extra cents or dollars.

If the woman was willing to publicly dig through someone else’s trash to collect a bit of money and accept the indignity that goes along with that scrounging, then can anyone rightly criticize her? One might argue that she was contributing to environmental conservation; she was recycling what otherwise would go to the landfill. What profit she could make from her labors is likely a mere fraction of the earnings of the homeowner.

She was digging hard because she needed to. I was running hard because I wanted to.