Someone once told me, “If you focus on the rabbits, the lions will eat you.” I.e.- if you want to make big changes, focus on the big picture, rather than worry about minutia.
As I walk my dog along the creek in my neighborhood, I’ve been picking up plastic trash lately. I walk out of the woods each time with my large bag full. I often ask myself- “What’s the point?” After all, a huge amount of plastics begins its journey to our oceans every time it rains heavily.
I think I pick up trash because it makes me feel good. That’s fine, but that’s rather self-serving and has a negligible impact on making the world a better place. I’ve told myself “Maybe someone else will see me doing it and they’ll start doing it too.” But I really wonder if maybe my focus is on me again- that someone else will see me doing it and I’ll feel even greater about myself- as in, “Look at how great I am, everybody!”
Montgomery County just launched a tax on all carry out bags. We recently noticed that in our only Montgomery County store (Rockville), reusable bag usage increased in one week from 3660 to 5479. That is almost 2000 fewer disposable bags being used each week at one retailer!
That small piece of legislation alone has undoubtedly had a HUGE impact- far more of an impact than any one person could make picking up trash. This is such a powerful reminder for me to keep my eye on those lions…
