By George, Let’s All Keep Cincinnati Beautiful
An unexpected thing happened last week. I blew up the internet. Not literally, of course, but I know that’s what you say when a picture or comment evokes LOTS of likes, replies, or other responses. When the internet “blows up,” someone posts, and everyone in the world seems to chime in with their own reactions. One little post carries a lot of weight.
So it happened to me…I met a guy, took a photo, and posted it on Instagram. 150 likes and 20 comments later, I am convinced the story is worth sharing again. I encourage you to read not only the original post below, but also the Instagram comments.
Meet George, my unofficial Citizen of the Day. (This post is longer than normal because this man deserves more attention than usual.) Last week I noticed Bolivar Alley was looking a little neglected. Lots of leaves and litter had accumulated over the winter. I thought I’d swing by today in anticipation of tomorrow’s Pendleton tour just to check the current condition. Much to my surprise and delight, I ran across George. He had a snow shovel, garbage bags, and a trash can and was working his way from one end of the alley to the other. I stopped to thank him for cleaning things up and to get the whole story. It turns out that George moved to Pendleton recently after first living downtown and then living in the Hyde Park area. He really likes his new neighborhood and wanted to just spend his day off sprucing things up a little. He especially likes the alley and the street art. “These artists did this for us. The least I can do is keep it nice for them.” Hats off to George! And let’s all keep #Cincinnati beautiful.
The follow-up to the initial posting is that I ran into George the next day with my tour group. I had just finished telling the story to the group and was sharing the photo when I turned, and there he was! We all laughed about how we must have staged the reunion because the timing was perfect. We hugged and thanked George again and went on our way.
I wonder how often a random act of kindness starts a movement.
#BeKind #KeepCincinnatiBeautiful