I poop scooped today

I fail to understand why folks come to a beautiful lake and leave behind their refuse. Plastic cups, beer cans, frozen popsicle wrappers, cigarette butts. And doggie poop. You don't see this in Canada's provincial parks.

So today we checked all the campers to ensure they paid for the night. As volunteers we don't accept payment personally and I prefer it that way. If peeps don't pay we phone a ranger and the ranger takes care of it. There was a shooting here a year ago. A camper died. He didn't pay his $14.00 per night and the situation escalated until weapons were drawn. So we don't argue or fuss with campers. We answer questions, provide assistance, call the ranger for people who don't pay.

So I was badmouthing the people who let their dogs go potty in the park and they don't clean up after them. One campsite and a large pile right in front for everyone to see. Why do people do that? I don't understand it. So I was getting all uptight because we picked up three or four piles. I love dogs. It's not that I think I'm too good to poop scoop and when I had a dog I picked up after her, gross as it was. I loved her though and we were good citizens.

My husband said, "Don't pass judgement."

On our way home my face was all scrunched up and I guess I looked weird. My husband asked me what was the matter. "I'm thinking not to pass judgement," I told him. "I'm thinking it over and over." And he laughed and said he hates working with people. Strange, I thought, for a man who spent his career managing people. He never brought his work home and that's part of what made him so good at what he did. I wish I could be as good at something as he was when he was an executive manager. He had to deal with the union and people sleeping on the job and people who wanted him to lie on reports. He always did the right thing. How do some people get such a strong moral compass and others, not.