I learned a long time ago that any day can be made better with a little time outside. And we are fortunate to have lots of sunny days around here.
I spend most of my working time inside under fluorescent lights, so I try to experience some outside therapy whenever I can.
This week, some of that outside therapy came in the form of a lunchtime spent at my favorite park. I'm trying to get back into an old habit that I've let slip - trash walking, guerilla garbage gathering. (Going for a walk and picking trash up along the way.) You don't need any real skills. You don't need to gather a bunch of people or start a movement. You just need to get out there and gather up some trash.
Guerilla Lunch-Hour Trash Picker-Upper near the infamous hole in the tree
I was fortunate to get to see the touring version of Whose Line It Anyway? here in Lubbock recently. One thing the comedians did well was research local-to-Lubbock references to work into their improv. There were lots of Buddy Holly, Guns Up, and Patrick Mahomes references. There were also lots of references to disturbing local flora that they had observed - hundreds of plastic bags on the roadside. The comedians (especially Ryan Stiles) were stunned at the amount of trash they saw here. It was a running joke through the evening.
Whose Trash Is It Anyway?
And it stung a little bit.
Yes, I know that I'm not the czar of all blown trash, and I know that Lubbock does not have a reputation for being beautiful, but I am a guy who encourages people to seek out the places here in town where natural beauty can be found. And it stung because it was honest and true - their trash talk was legitimate trash talk.
Yes, Lubbock has a trash problem.
How many pieces of trash can you spot in this pic?
How about this one?
The Whose Line troupe turned out to be a fresh set of eyes pointing out something we are so accustomed to seeing that we don't even notice anymore.
Tool of the trade: Guerilla Picker-Upper on the left
It's given me even more encouragement to go trash walking on a more regular basis. It's not a huge thing and it won't make a great impact, but it's nice to think that someone will see the area and marvel at the beauty rather than shake their head at the mess.
Under where?
Sure, it would be vastly nicer if we just created less trash and chose cleaner ways to live, but that is not the society we choose to be.
Solo sandal
Yes, sir, yes, sir - two bags full!
With our semi-arid climate, we have it a little worse out here. Plastic bags and wrappers blow in the wind and there is little to stop them other than the occasional plant or fence.
It looks like the local kids have been busy building a dam bridge.
The Lubbock parks with playa lakes get more than their fair share of trash and pollution because they are part of our drainage system. Whenever we get a decent rain, the rainwater carries whatever trash and chemicals happen to be on the roads directly to the parks.
Gratuitous turtle pic
It's amazing how resilient the parks are. Natural beauty abounds in spite of our overwhelmingly negative impact. Even so, the next time you feel like going for a walk, why not pick up a plastic bag and fill it with other plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, and such? Try leaving each place better than you found it. Just a little effort can yield surprising results.
Photogenic log
Who knows? You might find yourself feeling a little better about the state of the world and your role in it. You might find that more hope and more health can be found in your new role as a suburban garbage guerilla. You may even find that making a difference in the world can make a difference in you.
I like this guy! He's always smiling.
Really photogenic log
I pray you are well and striving to be better. I also pray that your works are a blessing to those around you.
Thanks for joining in!
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