Thursday, July 14, 2016

A Moment in Time, and Fred Gets It

They were the moment in time.
I saw them at the exercise facility today.
They were what I would have become
if
life had not taken so many turns for me.

They were both in their 60's or so...
His beard was gray and it hung below his belt.  His hair was salt and pepper, and his hair hung below his waist in the back.
He wore tattered jeans, a checkerboard shirt, and a baseball cap that didn't match.

She was the perfect partner for him.
She wore a denim skirt with a frayed hem.  The skirt ended mid-calf.  She was thin, like her husband, very thin.
She wore a cap that covered her hair completely.  Her denim jacket looked so hot for today.

I had come into the room where the zumba class was held.  In that room are cupboards and a sink.  
I was thirsty.  They couple was near the sink.  I looked at them and smiled.  Being new to the facility, I asked the couple if they knew where the plastic cups were.  The woman came up to me and reached into a cupboard and said, "Here."  She handed me a glass cup.  "Don't use plastic, ever," she said.  "Do you know that it takes 2 quarts of water to make one plastic cup?"  
I wasn't sure of what to say.  I had planned to use the cup and throw it away.  I didn't dare say that.
"People need to know," she continued.  "This is a waste.  Use this cup."
I had no choice.  I was obedient and used the cup.  I thanked her.
She smiled when she and her husband left.

I had to smile.  
I was told.  We do need to help save the environment.
This couple is doing it one person at a time.

Mother Teresa said:

“We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.” 

One person at a time.  

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