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Wearin' My Heart on My Sleeve

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My "Ah-ha" Moment
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Saturday, March 22, 2008

My "Ah-ha" Moment

Happy



Years ago, I had a very simple, yet important life lesson that I’ve NEVER forgotten. Because I was horribly embarrassed by my stupidity and the shame of the incident back then, I didn’t share it with anyone, until yesterday. It was just perfect timing to tell the story to Abbie and her friend Katie, as we drove back to home from Bakersfield.

But…first I will share the old life lesson that would forever change my thinking and behavior………….

While returning from a long, boring trip down Interstate-5 from Sacramento and having smoked way too many cigarettes to help pass the time, I stopped for some fresh air and a bite to eat at Anderson’s Pea Soup Restaurant. It’s a popular tourist stop along the highway, with a large gift shop and super clean restrooms.

I pulled into a parking place, and noticed how full the ashtray was in my car. I still had a couple hours to drive, and I knew the ashtray couldn’t hold much more. I opened the door of my fancy, Nissan 280Z sports car and casually dumped the nasty, smelly cigarette butts out on the ground and then I started to snap the ashtray back in place.

It was then I heard his elevated voice and looked into his knowing eyes. “PIG!” the older gentleman said disgustedly as he stared at me and my pile of litter with awful contempt! He then walked away as I lowered my head in shame!

As Oprah says, “It was my Ah-ha moment!“ What was I thinking? Why did I so casually spill such offending litter on the grounds of a public place? As a child, I was a Girl Scout, and we were taught to leave every place we visited, better than we found it. Leave nothing but footprints, our leaders would say!

Being called a such a derogatory name rocked me to my very soul. The shame I felt for being so careless with Mother Earth and my surroundings was HUGE!

NEVER, EVER in my life would I allow anything more than a teardrop to fall to the ground! Thus began my life’s mantra! It was something I’d teach my children, without revealing the story until now.

Whenever we finished playing at the park, I’d make them pick up other people’s trash to leave the place better than we found it! They’d always grumble, but Papa and I would also do our part. While at work, rather than stepping over litter, and walking by, I’d pick it up and place it in the nearest trashcan.

So, today I pay attention to litter along the highways and wonder how people can carelessly drop trash along our beautiful roads. My younger children and I have participated in picking up trash and debris along the roads during our town’s organized efforts. I am always amazed at the bags of trash that accumulate along roadways, when community minded souls do their part.

And…yesterday, I was being my community minded self….a totally reformed litterER. I just had to do it. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!!!

Here’s what happened……..

As we were stuck in Bakersfield’s early evening traffic, waiting to turn onto the freeway, Abbie commented with the appropriate amount of indignation, about a woman in a car opposite of us as she intentionally dropped a wadded up piece of paper out of her car window. I perked up, looked and saw the rather large piece of paper on the ground next to her car as she waited in stopped traffic.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when she carelessly DID IT AGAIN as I glared at her with all the disgust I could muster. Her male passenger noticed me staring, pointed it out to her and she turned to look at me.

I powered down my window and yelled “PIG!” directly at her.

It was at that point that Abbie began to panic as the woman, who happened to be African-American, turned incredibly animated. Abbie was aghast that I would confront someone of her ethnicity, and she thought we’d be shot any second! She was begging me to mind my own business! I was undeterred! It didn’t matter to me what color this careless person was, nor was I concerned for my safety.

I simply yelled “PIG” again and powered up my window as the young, crazy-acting woman proceeded to berate me for confronting her about her misdeed.

I just smiled as I couldn’t hear her!

After working in a prison for 25 years, I don’t get too excited about much. So I calmly looked at her, and gave her the best obscene gesture I’ve ever done! A SOLID, FIRM MIDDLE FINGER, WITH THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF SMIRK TO GO ALONG WITH IT!

It was soooo unlike me, but so damn satisfying!! The light then changed to green and I drove on to the freeway headed home.

It was then I shared the story of my dumping the cigarettes on the ground all those years ago. The girls and I had a lot of laughs as we headed back up the mountain.

Abbie said she doubted that the young woman I called a PIG had quite the same life changing reaction that I did.

Oh well, I tried!

And…..in closing, a reminder……..PLEASE DON’T LITTER!!

 

 

Easter/Spring Blessings,

Lisa

 

 

 

 



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