Don’t be afraid of work that has no end.

This has been a particularly frustrating week. If it’s not texts from folks facing housing insecurity and looking for work, it’s residents reaching out about another heavily littered area. On top of that, it feels like everywhere I drive, there’s litter. The city looks bad. And best beleive, what you see, I see times 10.

I’ve even wondered, and still do, if calling it quits might be an option.

But then I think back to a quote I came across when I first started this work: “Don’t be afraid of work that has no end.”

It’s a line that always stayed with me on this journey and when I later learned its origin, it meant even more.

[From Pirkei Avot]: “It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it.”

It’s a reminder that while I want to be the reason Raleigh becomes a cleaner, greener, 100% litter-free city, it’s not a burden I’m meant to carry alone. Still, giving up on the mission isn’t an option either.

So I lace up my boots, hop in the truck, and do what I can, as often as I can, for as long as I can.