Nowadays, unless you make a concerted effort to actually be private, you can bet someone is taking notice to something someone else is doing. I am no exception and living in New York offers around-the-clock people–watching opportunities.
It was one of those perfect early summer weekends up here when everyone was out and about, enjoying the weather and completely exposing their habits. I chose to spend the afternoon in Central Park at the “New Yorker’s Beach.” On a day like today, the 15 acres of lawn was predictably blanketed with people. Even though I came here by myself to get some work done, it was impossible to remain isolated.
I first noticed the couple to my left speaking a foreign language, romanticized by everything around them. Another woman had spontaneously planted herself in front of me, sitting on her jacket and catching up on phone calls from family back home. Just barely within earshot was a guy doing an independent workout on his beach towel singing along to his iPod playlist. On my other side, was a group of attractive-enough guys talking and throwing around a football: presumably pretty eligible bachelors. As the best subject for my people-watching entertainment, I positioned myself to discreetly and absently observe what else they were up to through my dark sunglasses.
Not hugely surprising, this was a mostly uninteresting, uneventful, and unentertaining distraction from my work. I was about to turn around, when I noticed a huge red flag. They pulled out various lunches and as two of them began to eat, they deliberately watched as one of their plastic shopping bags slowly blew out of arms reach. I thought, surely after the next bite, they’ll run after their rightfully owned trash. It tumbled further. They looked away and continued eating with complete disregard.
Eligible bachelors no more! I realized how disgusted I’d become through witnessing the inaction of a couple of strangers. To me, this cavalier disrespect for the environment displays all the character flaws in a person I care to know. We’ve all heard not to get involved with men who mistreat their mothers. Maybe we should start analyzing how they treat their Mother_Nature, too. You never know who’s watching and when you litter, there may be more than just a plastic bag getting away.
(Don’t worry, a nice person a few feet upwind caught the bag and properly disposed of it. I wonder if he’s available…??)