A little girl from Bloomington, IL didn’t want dolls or toys for her birthday this year, as many young children typically request. Instead, she had just one very special wish: to meet her neighborhood garbage man.
Brooklyn expressed this wish to her mom, who decided that it was time to meet the man who had made many mornings for her daughter so happy. For the past year, Brooklyn looked forward to seeing her neighborhood garbage collector, who she affectionately nicknamed her, “favorite awesome smiley garbage man.” The adoration began when Brooklyn would wave at Delvar, the man responsible for the trash collection in the neighborhood, from inside of her house. This later evolved to going outdoors to wave at the truck. If they were too late, Brooklyn and her mom drove around the neighborhood until they were able to find the truck and give their favorite driver their habitual wave.
Because Brooklyn’s birthday fell on a Thursday this year, she decided it would be the perfect time to meet her idol. With a wrapped cupcake in hand, Brooklyn and her mom waved down Delvar and his garbage truck. Brooklyn’s mom explained to him how much his friendly smile and wave meant to her daughter each week. In turn, he posed for pictures with the little girl and told her how much he looked forward to seeing her each week.
Delvar normally has a weekly meeting each Thursday, but he confessed that he tries to get out of it as quickly as possible in order to not miss seeing Brooklyn. After Brooklyn’s mom posted the pictures and wrote about the meeting, her post quickly went viral. This sweet and unlikely friendship is a perfect demonstration of how far a smile can go to brighten someone’s day.