I think both of the girls learned the lessons about how awful litter is today! It's so interesting how much easier it is for kids to understand that when they are picking up trash along the road!
I have been noticing some trash on the roadside near our house for awhile (up several blocks where there is a stretch that is close enough to the railroad tracks that there are no houses on that side of the road), but now that I often go running on that stretch of road I see it UP CLOSE. And it isn't pretty.
Every time I ran past it during the last week or so I thought, "we really should just come and pick it up." But I never scheduled a time to do it, so you know how without scheduling it, things rarely get done. Then today I was wondering what to do or say about Earth day with the girls, and of course had an ah-ha moment!
So, I sprang it on them after supper about how our family time was going to be spent picking up trash and they looked at me kind of dubious at first, but happily got things ready to go. Thankfully Shawn brought the entire roll of trash bags because I don't think I would have brought enough if it was me. I don't think I realized just how much trash there was there! We stuffed 6 large kitchen size trash bags full plus filled a large rubbermaid container that we also found along the road! And the sad thing is that there was still about another bag full in some thick underbrush near the tracks that is still left to pick up!
As a side note, it did not escape Megan's attention that most of the trash was fast food or convenience store wrappers, pop and alcohol bottles, and cigarette packaging. :-(
Nessa was very enthusiastic and very helpful until I picked up something she wanted to pick up and she melted. She was tired so eventually Shawn walked home with her while Megan and I finished. However Nessa had already picked up nearly a bag full of trash by herself and seemed happy to be doing it so I was very proud of both Nessa and Megan.
As we were finishing up Megan kept going on and on about how people could ever allow all that trash there! That is my girl. I hope she remembers and shares her lesson with others.
And my lesson -- IT WAS SO SIMPLE!
We need to do more of this. Each of us doing our little part to make the Earth a better place.
By the time we got home we were tired and dirty ... and we felt better inside than when we left.
~Tami
xoxo
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