Litterbugs Be Gone

When I was six years old my teenage babysitter walked with me and my brother to get a drink from a fast food place. I may not be a fan of anything fast-food these days, but back then a milk shake was a treat that I delighted in. Considering it was a hot summer day, the frozen chocolate tantalized my childhood taste buds. After I savored every last sip, I was at a loss with what to do with my now empty paper cup, lid and straw. There wasn't a garbage can in sight.

The sitter demanded that I throw it under a tree that was aligning the sidewalk. I have to say that I had an absolute meltdown with this even being suggested, let alone the fact that it was a command from someone older and much bigger than me who was supposed to be in charge. Considering I was a rather shy little girl this is saying quite a lot. Unfortunately, she won the battle. Her size and the strength of her voice certainly had something to do with it. With much chagrin, I placed the cup unde
eath the tree.

She may have had the last word on that day, but happily the very next day, I had made up my mind to go search out for that tree and my forlo
cup with every intention to pick it up in order to throw it in a trash receptacle. I would walk it all the way home, if necessary—and that is exactly what I proceeded to do.

You see, in the early 70's there was commercial on TV that had a profound effect on me. Those of us of a certain age, will remember that Native American man rowing down a river in a canoe with the sounds of drums beating to the heartbeat of our Earth. He is at One with Nature. Towards the end of the commercial, he plots his course for land and pulls his boat ashore. It is there where he sees an endless sea of trash, left behind by those with little regard for our Home. As the tear rolled down the actor's face, my face mirrored his.

The Universe plants signs for us all throughout our lives to pay attention to and this one 60-second ad was certainly one of them. It played a key roll in shaping the person I would become.

This very morning, as I was out on my walk, a bent up and twisted plastic bottle rested on the ground. It practically called for me to pick it up. Without a doubt, I am crestfallen for our collective behavior, every time I see an unwanted item left behind by some careless person. I then think to myself, do they throw trash around their house? Probably not. So, why do they feel compelled to throw it on the Home that we all share? We were meant to respect Mother Earth, not destroy it or even undignify it.

This bottle captured my attention, just as the paper cup had over four decades ago. I couldn't help but bend down and pick it up. I found a bin to put it in and unfortunately, my task at hand was not finished yet. Surrounding the can was a plethora of debris lying on the ground. I took a breath to calm my nerves and then I reached down and picked up those pieces, as well.

A friend of mine goes as far as throwing unwanted trash left behind in a bag that she brings from home each time she goes out for a hike. When a stranger once asked her why she was bothering to pick up someone else's trash, she simply answered, "Someone has to do it." I am grateful that she takes it upon herself to contribute to the beautifying of Mama Gaia rather than sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing.

This reminds me of when I was a professional organizer, I counseled my clients by telling them that a cluttered home equals a cluttered mind. The same holds true for our Home, Mother Earth. While I do actually feel compassion for those who feel it is acceptable to discard their refuse into the wild blue yonder, for I know that energetically speaking we are all a part of the same Divine Force and when they are throwing trash on the ground, this is a mirror for how they feel about themselves—and that is sad.

I send this message out into the land of the internet as a reminder, when we honor our planet, we honor ourselves. And each of us deserves to be held in the highest esteem.

Thank you for reading about my Organic Bliss!

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