Paying Attention

       Sometimes, we just don't pay attention. We hear or see something so many times that we don't even notice anymore. And then, one day, it may suddenly break through our consciousness. That's what happened to me the other day when I was shopping and the cashier asked me "Do you want a bag for that?"
       In the past, I have always wanted a bag "for that". Isn't that an integral part of the whole shopping experience? You buy something and to demonstrate that it now belongs to you, it is placed in a bag and handed to you. Is that not part of the triumph of shopping?
       But because I am trying to turn green this month, I found myself stammering, "Uh...uh...uh...I guess not." And I walked out of Petsmart carrying a bag of dog treats in my hand. I placed it in my car, unbagged, and it seemed okay somehow. Next, I went to a mall to pick up a box of contact lenses Tom had ordered, and the person at the desk asked, "Do you want a bag for that?" I looked at my purse, which while not huge, looked like it would hold the lenses, and again I replied, "I guess not."
       Then I went to a clothing store, where the only thing I wanted was a plain white T-shirt. When the cashier started to put it in a bag, I told her I didn't need one, because I was trying to go green. "That's cool," she said, handing me the shirt. And I did feel cool, until I started to feel nervous about walking out of a store with a white T-shirt grasped in my hand. I was waiting to be accosted by a store security guard, but it didn't happen.
       When I got to my car, I had to find somewhere clean to place the T-shirt, which was a bit difficult since I haven't applied any of Martha Stewart's advice to my car interior. But the shirt made it home relatively clean and unscathed.
       And I was amazed that I had avoided accepting three bags in such a short time. And somehow I still not only owned the items, I also hadn't been arrested.
       I even felt a little good about it...for a few mintues. And then I realized that these same cashiers, or cashiers like them, had been asking me, perhaps for years, if I wanted bags with my purchases. And for the first day, I had given an environmentally-appropriate response. It's hardly something to be proud of.
       And when I think about it now, I have consistently ignored other green suggestions. For instance, cards placed in hotel rooms say that in order to save water and detergent and labor and power, the hotel proposes to not change my sheets every day, unless I place the card on my bed to signify otherwise. And I often do place that card because isn't a fresh, perfectly-made bed part of what I'm paying for? Well...no more. The hotels make these suggestions to try to be greener, and from now on, I'm taking them up on it.
       And what about ATM machines that ask if I want a receipt? I always press the "yes" button. That way, not only do I have proof of my transaction if I don't lose or misplace the slip, I also have some paper to add to my home clutter. How much paper could be saved by simply answering "no" to receipts instead of yes?
       I'm going to pay closer attention now to these suggestions. They are being made for a reason. And it's time for me to respond reasonably...and greenly.