Ben wanted to keep his word to the kind woman who was turning 100 years old.

Together, we are constantly constructing and expanding our community. Sometimes an acquaintance’s concern for you goes unnoticed until they take an unexpected action. We are always going about our daily activities, but how often do we pause and consider how close we have grown to the folks we meet every day? When some trash collectors in the United Kingdom took the time to wish a woman a particularly happy birthday, they demonstrated to us all what an awesome community can be.

He had once promised a woman on his route that if she lived to be 100 years old, he would join her in celebrating.

An elderly woman from England is named Dorothy, also referred to as Mercy Ballard. She resides on Ben Bird’s trash collection route, and the two of them have become accustomed to conversing while Ben is at work.


Ben once promised Dorothy that if she survived long enough to age 100, he would bring her a cake. A highly significant birthday should undoubtedly feel exceptionally special.

Ben made the decision to do this since he believes they have a sufficient level of familiarity because to their daily routine.


Ben has been traveling this path for a while. He has had the chance to get to know many of the local homes, and he has developed a close relationship with Dorothy. He discusses their partnership. Every time I walk up her garden path, she will be there waiting for me. I talk to her every Thursday from 8 to 8:10 a.m. I never drink tea or anything like, so I wouldn’t make her go through the trouble. I quickly take off after the other two boys to catch up with them. I’ve been a binman for around 11 years, and I enjoy hearing her life stories.

When her birthday came around, Ben went all out.

Dorothy was already having a wonderful day when, as is customary in England, she received a letter from the Queen! Ben adhered to his word. He gave Dorothy a cake in celebration of her 100th birthday. But he improved it even further by including two of his coworkers. They all approached Dorothy’s front door while humming “Happy Birthday.”


The birthday gift plus the fact that her trash collectors did all of this specifically for her made Dorothy ecstatic. She expressed to Ben how much she appreciated the gesture, calling them now “best friends.”

It turns out that both parties feel the same way. Ben thinks just as highly of Dorothy as she does of him, and she was very touched by his kindness.

It turns out that Dorothy appreciated Ben’s birthday gift very much. Katy Smith, one of Dorothy’s great-grandchildren, claims that Dorothy has appreciated Ben’s presence. She claims:

“My great grandmother always raves about her binman Ben. I told him via messaging that he had brightened her day.

We need to be aware of the potential significance of these seemingly little interactions for us.

If you stop to think about it, you probably know someone who, like Ben and Dorothy, is a routine aspect of your life that you don’t always consider. Like Ben, you could decide to do something to add a little something more to someone’s day.

See Dorothy’s strong emotions to her birthday gift in the video down below: