The Last piece nearly did me in-true VT story.

     A single piece of litter doesn’t seem like a lot, does it? Well it was for me one very, very cold day in January. You know that kind of day that has gusty winds, low temperature and it is almost too cold to snow. Each step I took made sounds like breaking glass. Each breath hurt so much I did not want to exhale only to have to inhale again. Dress for the weather my mother always told me. I was dressed for the weather, enough so that I looked like the Michelin Man after he ate the pillsbury doughboy and the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters fame. I mean I had so many layers of clothes on that a bathroom call was going to require fifteen minutes of prep time.

     Empty grocery bag in mitten covered hand I waddled down the sidewalk. Wanting to get a clean start on the New Year, my journey began. I walked slowly, strolling, in no hurry even incapable of moving beyond ambling-see dressed for weather above. Once you accept feeling like a frozen piece of cow in a meat locker, being outdoors viewing nature is calming. You see and think things previously unexposed.

     I thought of Elizabeth Edwards’s dying message. "The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered," "We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human." But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful." Today, right now is as precious as any day we have.

     Finally I had nearly filled the bag with trash only needing one more piece to call it mission accomplished. The last piece, (it) being frozen in a snow bank required a bit of tugging. So much so that I fell over the snow bank tumbled down an embankment landing face down in powdery snow. Getting my well-dressed bumble-self upright took no small effort. I had to laugh at myself, given how I had gone to such great efforts to be “well dressed”, only to nearly succumb to my bulky wardrobe.

     Picking up a piece of litter every day doesn’t seem like much, does it?
     But it is, in every month of the year.

     Every piece helps; Helps prevent harm to birds, fish and other wildlife, helps prevent water pollution, and helps remove the “yuck” factor from our streets…

…and helps keep the Bumble from falling down!

 Happy New Year!    

Before

After

Bernie urges us all to maintain a litter free environment through caring, contribution, and community in order to protect our water, wildlife, and human health. 

Other “A bit of humor” postings:

      Ø   Snowstorm buries VT: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2011/03/march-6-7-2011-snowstorm-for-once.html

Ø  VT files for spring IPO: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2011/03/vermont-files-for-spring-ipo.html

Ø  Trashy Tweets: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2011/11/trashy-tweets.html

Ø  Trashy Headlines: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2011/12/top-trashy-headlines-of-2011.html

Ø  Treasure Trash: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/02/treasure-trash.html

Ø  Carnivorous plant devours Champlain College Student: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/04/shortage-of-litter-threatens-green-up.html

Ø  Wasn’t the Flu shot that made me sick: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2013/01/wasnt-flu-shot-that-made-me-sick_10.html