You can make the world a better place.

When you enjoy something you try your hardest to keep it nice; like your car, if you want it to last you have it maintained regularly, wash and wax it and avoid unnecessary wear and tear. What about other things that you enjoy? If you are a religious person you give your penance to keep your parish running so that others may be enlightened as you have been.

What about Earth? I can honestly say that one of the worldly possessions that I hold dear to me is the world itself. Obviously I reap the benefits of enjoyment of diverse seasonal changes that bring about a kaleidoscope of colors, I relish in newly fallen snow and the thunderous downpours of the spring, summer and fall. I live for walks on endless sandy beaches and the ability to hop into the water without fear or harm or sickness. And I find great pleasure in the moments when I get to experience nature without the encumbrances of human interception.

What if, however, I was not so fortunate? What if the trails were lined with Cheetos bags and pop bottles? What if every time I dove into the water I had to fight my way through a slew of floating man-made debris and garbage?

What a terrible world that would be. This post is not intended to be in support of any political position of in contrast to any ideal of the free market. I am writing it to inspire you.

I want you to take the extra 0.00001 second to bend over and pick up a bag or bottle, or paper scrap when you are out enjoying the world. I usually carry a plastic bag with me to fetch trailside/ beach garbage. It takes no extra effort on my part and the world is a better place for it. I am in no way tooting my own horn, merely illustrating how one person is choosing to make a difference, in hopes that you too do your part, however big or small. Nothing is insignificant in this world.

This past Fall we took a short walk on the Lake Michigan shore near my hometown of Onekama, and in the span of 15 minutes I collected the following:

It took nothing extra to pick these up and our return trip was all the more beautiful as a result. I would like to think that maybe the next person to walk the beach found it to be clean and enjoyed it all the more. If all you do is to restore that which is damaged to its original state you have done your part.

If we all just do this a little more, then we can enjoy things like this forever:

Thank you for listening. Enjoy this week.

-J