Taking Care

Hope is in the air these days as the corona virus seems on its way to being conquered with vaccines. But it’s not the only good news at the moment. The sun is getting warmer so we know that spring is not too far behind.

            In my world, spring is not acknowledged until St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone because until then a snow storm could appear without warning. But as soon as the Irish celebrations are over, spring begins to display its gifts to winter-wearied souls. We’ve been patient throughout the cold months so we feel we deserve to welcome a season of renewal. Even if it’s still a few weeks away, we have no qualms about beginning to plan for it.

            At this time of year, as the snow is slowly melting, I always find it interesting to see the things that have been lost along the way over the winter. I sometime see a lone mitt or glove or a scarf as a matter of course, but this year masks are a new element that I come across regularly on my daily walk. Have these masks been lost or simply thrown away, I wonder. I hope they were not simply thrown away on the sidewalk instead of being discarded the way they should have been.

            But then again, many people still see no harm in discarding things anywhere instead of making an effort to keep our world clean. As I pulled into a parking spot at my local mall yesterday I was somewhat puzzled to see that two take-away coffee cups had been left on the yellow line separating two parking spots. Obviously the person who left the cups there could not be bothered to walk a short distance to dispose of them properly in the available bins near all the doors to the mall. Or take them home and discard them there. I suppose that person felt someone else should do what he or she should have done.

            When things are discarded any which way they’re often picked up by the wind and blown away. It’s no wonder that our rivers, lakes and oceans are full of garbage that threatens fish. I feel strongly that if we don’t care about our environment today, our children and grandchildren will have to pay the price.