During beach yoga on the Jersey Shore, I watched a guy walk along the shoreline with a single plastic bag, picking up trash and beach rubbish. Good human.
Although on our very littered planet, it would take no time at all to fill a single plastic grocery bag, this guy was doing his small part. Maybe after it was full, he would go home, maybe he'd sit on the beach, or start filling a second bag - I don't know. For now, he was doing a good deed to clean up the area right around him.
Would his single effort with a single plastic bag clean up the entire beach?
NO
Would his single effort with a single plastic bag make a small difference to that part of the beach?
YES
Would his single effort with a single plastic bag inspire others to pick up trash, too?
HOPEFUL
What about us, snippeteers? Are we doing our part to "keep it clean?"
If each of us humans did our small part, how much might we contribute to the little piece of world around us? Our areas, our spaces, our people, our homes, our neighborhoods.
This "keep it clean" analogy might refer to trash ... or not. Sure, tote along a plastic bag while you walk yourself or your pup. Every bit of litter in the trash can instead of on the ground can help to beautify our surroundings. Recycle. Repurpose - please repurpose. Don't just lazily toss something still useful in the trash because you don't feel like dealing with it. Don't store stuff for 20 years untouched in a closet or storage unit. Go out of your way to find a purpose for items you no longer want or need - because someone else does.
[Small example: I gave all of our old pillows to a local veterinarian who said "Sure, I'll use them" when I called. I like to imagine the cute little poochies resting on them, perhaps while recovering from surgery.]
Aside from trash and old pillows, snippeteers, "keep it clean" can also refer to "doing our part" in other small segments of our surroundings: in family relationships, marriages, work places, neighborhoods, sisterhoods, friendships. What do our reactions, replies, and actions look like towards strangers, coworkers, people servicing us, neighbors, friends, spouses, and family? Are we doing our part to "keep it clean?" Or could we clean up that litter a little bit?
Does a single effort in a single moment change an entire relationship? No. But does a single effort in a single moment matter to that other person? You betcha.
Would our single effort inspire others to react, reply, and act "cleaner," too?
HOPEFUL
A single effort goes a long way ... one plastic bag, one smile, one kind gesture, one pillow, one nice compliment, one hug, one team effort, one greeting card, one calm reply, one act of love.
