About half way there, I remembered the restaurant was right beside a train station! and slapped my forehead for my foolishness, while nearly swerving into the next lane. (Train might've been the safer option.) Sure it would have taken more than twice as long than driving, but that would have been over 3 hours of quality reading time, whereas you can't read while driving - that's even more dangerous than self-remorseful head slapping.
Oh the guilt, the guilt. How many trees can I plant to cleanse my conscience and erase my carbon footprint?
Unexpectedly, the dinner with old friends went on well past midnight. Came 1.30am I was finally getting into my car with gratitude. Good thing I didn't take a train, they'd stopped running by that time, and to get to the cab rank on the main road, in this part of town, you apparently needed a security guard to escort you on the 5 minute walk. (Seriously.)
It was a chilly night and I drove home with the heater on, happy I'd soon be home, asleep, versus waiting to change trains on a freezing platform somewhere. Personal comfort and expediency.
But I also figured I should stop whacking myself over the head with guilt every time I get in my car. I do plenty of good things too.
I usually bicycle everywhere – sometimes people only recognize me when I'm wearing bike shorts – the car is only my back-up vehicle.
This week I remembered to take my own container to the take away shop, and my recycled plastic bags to the fruit shop where I generally avoid buying fruit or veg that is pre-packaged in any way.
The mileage on my car is about a quarter to a third of what's normal or average.
I do my best to tread lightly on this planet in dozens of tiny, seemingly insignificant ways.
Why don't we pat ourselves on the backs for these small efforts? They all matter, they all make a difference. An ocean, after all, is just a collection of little drops.
It's hard swimming against the tide all the time. And the tide of the western society in which I live goes largely against care for the environment. We swim against it as much as we can, and if sometimes we stop to rest, it's just being human.
So I say less stick, more carrot (an organic, locally grown carrot); Less guilt, and more encouragement for ourselves when we do the right thing. And thereby we'll encourage ourselves and others to do the right thing even more often.
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