Avi the Window Salesman, the Garbage Bin, and the Song

On the afternoon of December 6, 2022, I knew I was teetering on the dark hole of depression. I didn’t want to, but I decided it was time to leave the darkness and welcome the shining sun. While walking, my brain was bombarded by thoughts and feelings I no longer wanted. To block those unwelcome intrusions, I found myself silently singing and playing on my phone the song in my last blog, Honor; Shining Light, over and over.

When I got home, I decided to roll the garbage bin to the side of the road. Then my conscience took over, the garbage bin is not supposed to be on the curb until after six o’clock in the evening. So, I hid the garbage bin behind the fence blocking the sidewalk to my door. My next thought (verbatim), “What if someone comes to see you?” My brain’s response, “No one comes to see me.” Thus, I left the garbage bin obstructing the walkway.

I go in the house and turn the radio on. A few songs later, I see a head bobbing pass my front window. I ran to the door and opened it to find a young man with curly blonde hair. I look at him, at the garbage bin, and back at him and say, “I am so sorry! I put my garbage in your way.” He replied, “That’s okay, I walked around it.” I told him he was lucky, I just got back from a walk. Then, I pulled an earbud from my ear explaining I’d been walking and listening to music. He asked me, “What was your listening pleasure?” I couldn’t tell him I was playing the same song over and over. So, I lied. The quickest response was to tip my head toward the radio and say,” K-love“. For some reason I knew that he knew I lied.

He introduced himself as “Avi”. I invite him in and offer him a drink and a snack. I couldn’t buy any windows from him, but we had a good chat and then he left. A few seconds later, I peek out the window to see where he was headed next, but he was gone.

Fast forward to March, 15th, 2023. I think about that day. I still feel bad about lying to Avi, the Window Salesman. Then, I replay the song I was listening to that day and wonder if there is a song with Avi’s name in it. I go to YouTube and type in “Avi”. I play the first song that pops up. The first few words I hear, “Without the light, oh, the darkness comes . . . ” It was a song by another man named Avi Kaplan called, Change is on the Rise. And with all this, I realize how to avoid the dark pit of depression. Onward I journey. . .

Reflecting on the Evidence

1. Interpret the meaning behind anyone or all of the key points (the garbage bin, the window salesman, and/or the song) in the above story.

References

Beck, M. (2022, December 6). Honor; Shining Light. Time Traveling Nurse. https://timetravelingnurse.blog/2022/12/06/honor-shining-light/

Beck, M. (2023). The Window [Photograph].

K-LOVE. (2023). K-LOVE | Positive and Encouraging. https://www.klove.com

Kaplan, A. (2019, March 22). Change is on the rise. [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=382BTxLNrow

Pitone, M.L. (2021, January). Earbuds (for teens). Nemours TeensHealth. Retrieved March 15, 2023 from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/earbuds.html