When we're responsible for cleanup, we pay attention

Annoying insects start showing up in May.

One of the most irritating is the "litterbug." An astute sixth-grader defined the word: "A litterbug is a messy two-legged animal that travels around the country turning it into a dump and spoiling it for other people."

While we've been driving along the highways and byways since moving out West, my husband Grit and I see it isn't just an Eastern problem.

Seems people everywhere are determined to decorate with broken bottles and empty plastic bags.

In our beautiful country, we have established magnificent parks and forests for education, recreation and pleasure for all, and pay taxes to keep them up.

However, with current attitudes of many who have no outdoor manners, much of the funds earmarked for upkeep — millions of dollars — is going to picking up litter instead of improvements.

In this land of abundance, as we go about our many activities, we get lazy.

We toss things away instead of recycling or taking the time to dispose of our waste properly.

Litterbugs create unsightly messes. Take a look around after a football or basketball game at the amount of litter left behind.

Some people must have a mentality that life involves being waited on.

How sad that attitude is when it only takes a moment to pick up after ourselves, even if we must cart a bag home to put in the garbage.

Hiring more people to clean up after us is not the answer.

A few years back, when the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made a very wise change by eliminating most janitorial services in local ward houses, it really made a difference.

When we know we are responsible for cleanup, we pay attention and pick up our "stuff."

Changing our ways doesn't take great effort; it is mostly a matter of being aware and willing.

When my grandson, Jake, was a 5-year-old in Connecticut, he was the monitor of all the garbage in his house.

His mother told me it was not her encouragement that made him the family recycler; it was a trip their nursery school took to the garbage museum in Stratford, Conn.