So I had four teenagers in the car with Ray driving us and we had just pulled up to a Cumby's (small convenience store) and the kids and I were parked facing the store and a cute white car parked in front while Ray ran inside.
A nice looking lady was in the driver's seat, opening a pack of cigarettes, and threw the top half of the cellophane out the window. I promptly jumped out of the van, ran to her, grabbed her garbage, and politely said "oh, excuse me, you dropped this," in my nicest voice possible and she smiled embarrassingly and took the garbage and looked away. I bounced back bubbily to our van, be-sandled, be-skirted, and unfettered and sat in my seat. The kids were just kind of surprised, yet proud, and perhaps even mildly embarrassed. I was happy the lady didn't just throw it back out the window.
Here's the kicker...
as they drove off, I smiled and waved as if I had just made two new best friends and her teen-to-20 daughter waved back a graceful well-manicured middle finger.... I blew kisses as they drove off. I know the mom felt a degree of shame, or the paper would have returned to the landscape... but what made me sad was the *indignation* of her daughter... the very same person who will have children of her own within a decade, and when grandmother, may remember the day when you *could* play outside....
send them love, please...
(btw, the picture is one I took at Dean's Mill in Ravena NY, 1 mile from where the lady decided to throw garbage into our world.)
