I need a reason for everything so naturally I asked her why (she thought it was okay to dispose of her gatorade this way?!?!). Only kidding, I really wanted to know why she thinks I take life too seriously. An answer to the other question would have been nice too... but I was working with the attention span of a four year old. Her answer, "you turned into a crazy person about the gatorade bottle, you always get your 'lesson' face on when H.T.W. (the two year old brother) throws his trash on the floor, and you never smile." How I wish it could have been the 100 degree heat making me nauseous on that Virginia summer day, not the four year girl with good intentions.
I am admitting defeat, H.G.W. might be right. Let me address each one of her points individually. I did turn into a "crazy person" when handling the incident. I probably could have been a tad nicer or understanding... but I wanted to save the bottle before it went swimming in a pile of contaminated trash. And, unfortunately, unfinished/unrecycled gatorade bottles are not the only things that put me over the edge. Plastic bags, uneaten leftovers/wasted food, people who take to-go boxes made of Styrofoam, long showers (multiple times a day). The stir me up list goes on, I will spare you. Major dilemma! These things really make me angry and can sometimes ruin my day when I see multiple stir me up list items occur back to back. This is a problem that obviously needs addressing. How do you know when you have taken it to far? I am extremely passionate about the issues surrounding persevering the earth but you have to draw the line somewhere. Why should I care about saving the world when no one else does? I can't tell you how many children I have encouraged to pick up trash, friends I have encouraged to recycle, the number of strangers I have talked to about Styrofoam to-go boxes and plastic bags, employers I have discussed composting with, and the number of family members I have encouraged to buy only what they need in order to reduce waste. The ones who catch on make it seem worth it. When I meet others who are on already on board and teach me something new it seems totally worth it. I am beat. Is any of this contagious or is all of this a waste of a life? I think I am past the line, waste bothers me too much. Then again, it does not matter whether you are trying to save the world, raise your children, finish med school... the task is probably always daunting. Passion takes you places, like to Africa!
Point two: first and foremost, I do not think there is anything wrong with forcing a two year old to pick their trash up off the ground. I would not let a stranger throw trash on the ground, an adult superior, or anyone I consider friend or family in front of me. I am always extremely patient with H.T.W. when discussing the subject of why we can't just throw our garbage on the ground. He is two and I understand that. It's great that he is two, he can be 'trained' to take care of the earth. When I was taking care of A.L.R.L. she was always so proud to tell me when she did 'earth friendly' things. Melts my heart every time! My generation is only the start of the green trend, we need children like H.T.W. and A.L.R.L. to grow up in it, learn about the earth, understand why it is important to save it, and fight to protect it. It is not too late for H.G.W., she is my work in progress. Smile.
Final point: H.G.W. is not the first person to tell me I never smile and I am sure she will not be the last. She really pushed a button here because no other statement is that annoying! I have two good friends, H.C.O. and J.L.W., who are also victims of the "you never smile" curse. We have discussed this issue several times and always draw the same conclusion... just because we do not smile does not mean we are not happy. I am actually a pretty happy person. Maybe you should stop judging and get to know me. I do not have to broadcast a smile all the time to show it. I guess my face naturally frowns (or I just think you--the person who told me to smile is super dumb) so please get over it. I am happy (and very blunt), unless you hurt my friend, planet earth. Of course, now you probably do not want to get to know me because I called you out for crossing the line. So be it.
The conclusion is that I probably do take life to seriously, but my passion for these issues is part of what makes me who I am. If I gave up, besides being really lame, I would be throwing myself into a group of people I would rather not associate with. Since the incident I have had a much better sense of humor about saving the earth. I realize I need to let everyone live the life they have set out to live... even if that means they do not want to become green worker bees. I am still going to continue to suggest and encourage new ideas and more earth friendly ways of life without being let down when my ideas are not put into practice. The other valuable lesson I learned is maybe we should all shut up and listen to each other. If a four year old can get me thinking and revamp the way I tackle a no impact life... it makes me believe lots of you have important messages you are waiting to share.
Wow, that was a mouthful. I am still breathing thanks to those trees right outside my window. Check in tomorrow when the clean air is gone and those trees have been cut down to build one of the 100 houses being added to our neighborhood. To think my parents bought new. Have I taught them nothing?
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