Yesterday, I was about to begin my run, when I saw a bevy of beer bottles rolling beneath a bench. I love Central Park and loathe littering anywhere, so often find myself, like this morning, picking it up.
As I was dumping them in a trash can, a woman came over and said, “What are you doing…are you crazy…touching those dirty bottles?”
Now in one glance I knew who she was…15 pounds overweight stuffed in pricy exercise togs draped in jewelry that shouldn’t be seen before noon, while nails, like stilettos, clutched her iPhone 7. She was an Upper Eastside princess alright…over fed, overdone, over concerned with something with origins that should concern her, but don’t.
“Don’t you love the park?” I said, determined to keep it cordial. “It’s awful to see it disrespected this way, don’t you agree?”
“Yes I do, but what about all those germs you now have all over you?”
“You know, I believe if you live in a place like New York, you can’t worry too much about that. You just wash your hands more often, that’s all.”
She was shocked by my response, staring at me like I had three heads.
“Well, I worry, and you should too.”
“Okay, but there’s a bottle behind you I’d like to grab, so could you move over a bit? Thanks.”
I left her on her phone telling Abbey, whoever the hell Abbey was, about the girl collecting bottles…
“and Abbey…she’s so thin.”
Aye
SB
Is “thin”
1. an accusation,
2. a disease,
3. an aspiration, or
4. an expression of pity from Princess Bling?
I hate litter too. Good work Susannah.
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I have to stop myself from constantly picking it up. Drives me crazy. Like my late friend Beth taught her daughter Amy, every time someone littered…the earth just said ouch. So she’d toddle over to the culprit and say…you hurt the earth. Ouch! Sigh.
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Susannah, maybe she thought you were going to turn the bottles in for five cents each so you could buy some food, ha ha! You should have told her you were checking to see if there was any brew left in them so you could have a free snort. I bet she’d be among the first to complain if the bottles began accumulating
.
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Aren’t people odd? How one can litter in the first place is a mystery to me. To question to leave it there or not is another.
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She reminds me of a woman who scolded me once. I was at the seashore in a discount shoe store. This is one of those stores where you help yourself. It was full of women. It was summer. No one had hose on but they were all trying on shoes. She scolded me and told me I’d get a disease from doing that yet all around people were sticking their wiggly toes in flip flops! I wondered if she carried antiseptic wipes for her feet.
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The interesting thing…those people are always sick. Those of us who are a little earthier in our attitudes fare much better I have found…flip flop…flip flop…:)
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The woman had no manners. She should have been thanking you for helping to keep the park clean, not questioning your sanity. Littering drives me wild. People in our little area throw beer cans from their cars. I would pick them up, but they are usually way down in a gully where I can’t reach them. When I walked by the water in Stony Brook, I picked up debris, since there were public trash cans all along there. I’m proud of you for keeping your temper in check!
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Yes, it’s so lovely at that hour, therefore I pick my fights…her opinion mattered little.
Beers cans thrown from a car…oh my.
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Get the licence plate and email the police.
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If you were Dick Tracey maybe. Also you have to figure beer out the window tossers are probably going pretty fast. My two cents
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Beer can throwing is not something we’ve witnessed. We see only the results.
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I get it…:)
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We get a lot of the beer cans out the window, although it has let up in the past couple of decades. Every now and then we get the diaper drop. Now that really gets my dander up!
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OMG!!! OOH
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No! Not used diapers! That’s nasty. The culprits should be required to stay at home one day with a diaper-less baby.
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Yeah, that threw me too.
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Ok, your title got the “Jive Talking” tune stuck in my head. Hopefully, that will leave soon.
As for the lady, i worry about her. People who hold it in like that are more likely to have a stroke.
And, as for you, yes, it’s adding germs to your hands. However, I do see the niceness of picking them up. Perhaps, carry a couple of pair of latex or non with you, just for such occasions? Just a thought. You are right, people who do that seem to be healthier in general, but it does take just once for a visit to ER.
Scott
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Yeah, I hear you but…it’s never a planned event. Can’t imagine carrying gloves but it’s a kind suggestion. If only people would stop littering. Sigh
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Yes, if only…
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🙂
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It takes a village Susannah, clearly, the entitled windbag did not get the memo.
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New phrase…entitled windbag. Yes, she could have sold at auction for a pretty price providing she came with her phone and jewelry. 🙂
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Hahaha! Like the ones running this country.
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LOL
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Men are there half off their bar stools from 11 till midnight. Sends shivers down my bony spine.
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