I have passed him before.
Me running.
Him walking along the road with a garbage bag in his hand.
We nod our greeting to each other as I make my way up the hill.
I saw him again today.
He was picking up trash along a half mile stretch of the road on which he lives.
Such a simple act.
And one that stands counter to the prevailing culture in which we live.
It is not his trash.
He did not throw the cups or the cans or the wrappers out his car window as he drove by.
He did not assume that someone else would clean up the mess.
It is his road.
And it is his community.
So each week he walks that half mile picking up the trash.

I wish more of us shared his attitude.
And, rather than just complaining or pointing fingers or waiting for someone else,
say to ourselves, “I will  do something about it.”
For him, it is picking up the litter along the road where he lives.
For me it will be something else.
For you???
You decide.
After all, it is our streets and it is our community.