It's true, I pick up trash.

No, not at bars, late at night - & please don't refer to humans as trash ... ar-ar

I enjoy spending an hour or two, walking through our beautiful city park, nabbing trash with my trusty pikstik

Not only have I been able to keep our park mostly refuse free, I've learned and / or remembered a few valuable lessons.

1. Keep it relaxed.
   I'm diligent, but not to the point of wearing myself out, sliding over into the uptight zone. Similar to meditation, I'll watch the distracting thoughts fly by. Thoughts about what other people might be thinking, or about feeling frustrated at people littering.

2. Don't focus on hot spots.
   There's a group of wayward young folk, who like to hang out and litter indiscriminately , in "their" park. I'm certain I cannot take them on my own ... Just kidding! At first I spoke to them, made friends, asked nicely about not trashing the place, and when that didn't work, I just avoid the spots they hang out in. Maybe one of these days they'll realize. If not, S'okay by me! SO much better than getting frustrated and losing faith in humanity. Besides, less work will make lightly littered areas cleaner and produce almost immediate results.

3. Pace yourself
   No need to rush. It's a volunteer gig. Take your time, do whatever quality of job you want, and don't hurt yourself, m'kay? Any bit of trash removal you do, is a bonus for us all.

4. Whistle or hum
   This is key. Let yourself enjoy the space that you are improving. Often I find myself moved to whistling or humming, heck, I belted out some Otis Redding yesterday, so you never know what inspiration might strike you - but go with it. Allow yourself to be happy. It freaks me out most of the time. Like, if I'm happy, something ultra-terrible will happen. IDK, that's just me. So I go with whistling and feeling productive and happy.

5. Keep your eyes open
   So far I've found a really nice folding knife and a torch / lighter, still full of fuel. Countless golf balls, and a few tennis balls for my doggie. Not bad for getting some productive exercise

Perhaps you will be inspired to try it for yourself, but you know what? If not. That is absolutely, 100% fine.
Cheers!