Carbon Free Girl - A Race Car Driver's Journey to Be Carbon Neutral

May 31, 2010

Something has me on the edge. Maybe it's the oil spill, I'm not sure. I'm not proud to say this, but I just about lost it on a little old lady who works at Barnes and Noble. I'm not kidding. Let me explain.

I purchased three small items that I could easily carry in my hands or put in my purse and she attempted to put them in a plastic bag. When I told her that I didn't need a plastic bag, she started to take the items out of the bag, looked at me and with a bit of a confused look and asked, "Are you sure?"

Slightly annoyed with the thought of having to repeat myself I politely replied, "Yes, I'm sure," while thinking to myself that is why I just told you a second ago that I do not need a plastic bag and then added for emphasis, "I don't use plastic."

She looked at the three small objects I had purchased sitting before her on the counter and asked me, yet again, if I was sure I didn't want a bag, as if it would be such a huge burden for me to *gasp* carry them.

And that is when it happened. I felt anger welling up inside me. Anger at her and all the other sales people that had done this to me over the last several years. They came rushing back to my mind - the lady at the pet feed store, the middle aged man at the grocery store, the owners of the Thai place with the great tofu curry that I love down the street. She looked like a nice enough little old lady, but she was from a different generation, one that I do not understand. And clearly she did not understand my generation or all the other recycling, composting, rainwater collecting vegetarians that I hang out with.

We stared at each other, one generation not understanding the other, and in that moment a lot of information was exchanged very quickly. No words were necessary.

Oh, you're one of THOSE. One of those environmentalist types that thinks you're going to save the world, she thought, I bet you don't drink bottled water either.

I bet she doesn't even recycle her garbage, I thought before reasoning with my sanity, breathe, breathe, calm down, she's a little old lady, be nice.

I looked back at her and said with conviction, "I'M POSITIVE. I DON'T. USE. PLASTIC."

She looked at me, recognizing that just under the surface was a woman on the edge, likely to freak out in her store right in front of her very eyes, and she said politely, "Oh, okay. Thank you. Have a nice day."

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