Some Folks Do and Most Folks Doesn't

I drive down A1A every morning just about the same time every morning, give or take three or four minutes difference, and I've grown accustomed to seeing much of the same sights on my way to work.

I see The Morning People, walking their dogs along the sidewalks in front of the fifteen or so high-rise condos facing the ocean, and they all look somewhat grim, depending on the weather. The Morning Runners and Walkers are there, too, but they taper off as the year progresses on, and their dedication to "getting fit in the new year" becomes tiresome. On Saturday mornings, the cyclists are out in force (only in the sunny, warm weather), looking ever so like a mini-LeMans, with determination and grit written in their expressions and all manner of brightly-colored neon helmets which make them resemble a new form of dung beetle on wheels.

There is one person that I always look for off to my left, and my day seems a little brighter when I see her.

And I will tell you why.

This woman has to be all of 90 years old, maybe a wee bit younger, but not by much. She is in a scooter, adorned with a little bobbly reflective light and shopping bags. She always wears a head scarf and oversized sunglasses, and she always - always - has on red lipstick. She slowly rolls down the sidewalk and "walks" her dog, a spry Golden Retriever, who gleefully, but respectfully, greets every single other dog and human without fail.

What simply amazes me is that when her dog does his business in the median, this woman, bound to a scooter and ancient as the oak trees at Tara, dutifully stands up, grabs a plastic bag from her jacket pocket, and picks up the poo. She puts the bag into another container (it resembles a coffee can with a lid), puts that into a cloth shopping bag draped on the back of her seat, gets back into the scooter, and without skipping a beat, continues on her way, with her faithful companion keeping pace.

I have watched countless other Morning People with their pooches and only one or two others have I seen pick up the poo so that it can be disposed of properly. These people have full use of their arms and legs,  most of them - if not all - are most likely decades younger than the Scooter Woman, and yet, they cannot take care of their dog's waste products. They look away, as if they do not realize their dog is relieving itself, and then casually walk back along the sidewalk, presumably back to their cozy little abode somewhere in the blocks and blocks of stacked "units" that line the highway.

Now, I ask you, if a woman of considerable age and disability can pick up the poo from her dog, why can't you? I see her out in all kinds of weather, without fail, walking her dog, and making the effort to do her part in keeping the poo picked up and yet, others don't seem to think it's necessary.

I'm a dog person, trust me. I have four of my own, and have informally adopted my boyfriend's cocker spaniel. When I walk them, I carry bags to pick up the poo. I don't appreciate stepping in it, I don't want my own dogs sniffing up parasite eggs and I respect other people's yards and driveways.
Watching Scooter Woman has made me realize that no matter what your circumstance, you can make the effort to do the right thing.