Trash Talkin'

published October 7, 2010

in the Stockton Sentinel, 

Stockton, Kansas
 

     Pardon me while I step up onto my soapbox. I just don't get it. I walk around town or ride bike a lot, and I have to wonder... when people toss trash out onto the street or sidewalk, who do they think is going to pick up after them? Or out along the roads and highways... are trash tossers just wanting to make sure there is stuff out there for the volunteer groups to earn their community service points?
     At ballgames, concerts, movies, fairs -- any public event -- when it's over, someone has to deal with all the trash that's left behind, even though trash cans are plentiful. Don't worry about it; someone else will clean it up.
     I thank my parents for instilling in me the value of cleaning up after myself and not tossing trash on the ground. Not even a gum wrapper. I hope that's one lesson I've passed on well to my own kids.
     We are blessed to live in such a beautiful world. We are fortunate to have such wonderful facilities everywhere we go for public events of all kinds. And we're just down-right spoiled when it comes to conveniences designed to make our lives easy. All we have to do is watch the evening news to understand how rich we are in resources and "stuff," and we really didn't even have to work very hard for it. We pretty much take it all for granted.
     With everything that we've been blessed with, it seems to me that we have a responsibility to care for it and preserve it. After all, in the whole scheme of things, we're here for just a short while anyway, and then it will all belong to someone else.
     Okay, I'll step down from my soapbox now. I see a wadded up McDonald's carryout bag on the street that needs to be picked up.