Calling all shopping cart ditchers

I promised as we began this journey together to write more often. I want to apologize right here in the beginning. I’m going through a bit of a season of loss and, while it’s not an excuse, I share that because I want to be clear that I’ve not lost my drive or inspiration. I’m still in!

That said, I begin by shining a light on smaller opportunities to chase to bring some goodness to those around us. So…I think today’s opportunity for us to chase is pretty simple. I believe if we ever go into a parking lot, this will be a piece of cake.

Over the last week or so, I’ve come across more than several instances where people have just let their carts in the parking lot right outside the stores where they’ve been shopping. It’s pretty simple to return your cart to the store, and if the store is too much of a walk, in most cases there’s a corral where you can simply push your cart without stepping in to connect it to the other carts.

Often, I will come across situations where someone has left one cart in front of another store – yep, that’s right, not even the store it came from. I’ve also seen situations where people will take the trash from from their car and put it in the cart they are not planning to return, either to the store or the corral.

I’ve also seen more than once this week several carts left in the handicap parking area. There are more than several reasons it’s not a good idea to leave your cart here. And in most cases, the handicap spot is just a few steps from the store in any case.

These stores are kind enough to provide us with these carts and even baskets so that it’s easier for to carry the things that we are interested in around the store – we can fill up those carts and decide not to buy what we’ve placed in them. They are also kind enough to allow us to take these carts with us to make it easier to get the items we’ve purchased to our cars.

Yet another reason to return these carts is because, when left in the parking lots, they can easily roll into another car….maybe yours. If they are left in the middle of a parking space, then it’s a space someone else can’t use…maybe even the one where you’d like to park. Carts left in the parking lot or half on/half off the curb are more likely to roll into a car. What if that car is yours?

One final reason to be mindful of this is that just one cart left behind can become a dumping spot where other people will push their carts. It’s like a blinking sign saying, “push your cart and trash here, let’s see what mayhem happens!”

So this week – just 7 days – let’s make a conscious effort to return carts we have used to get things to out our own cars. And if you are really feeling generous, and maybe a little energetic, then why not push a cart maybe even two that have been abandoned to the corral or even the sidewalk of the store the cart belongs to.

This tiny act seems small but its impact can go quite a ways. It will not only get these carts out of the parking lots, but you just might inspire someone else to return their own cart or maybe step out of their comfort zone and return someone else’s cart to the store or one of the conveniently located corrals.

So whadda ya say – is this something you can take on for the next week? I bet it won’t be hard to seek out these opportunities. And who knows the goodness it could bring to someone.