I’ve noticed something profound over the years: whether or not I’ve made my bed first thing in the morning has a greater influence on my attitude for the day than choosing which side of the bed to get out of. There’s just something about having already done something productive that gives me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Now that’s not to suggest that I’ve never had a bad day despite making my bed first thing in the morning. But I think there’s definitely a link between starting my day well and finishing my day well.
I’ve also noticed some similar correlations with other things, like litter. Obviously I don’t stop my car on the way home to pick up every piece of trash I see lying on the side of the road. But if I’m in a parking lot at the grocery and I walk past a piece of litter on the ground without picking it up and throwing it in the waste bin, I’ll still be thinking about it while I’m in the cereal aisle 10 minutes later. I feel just as guilty as the careless person who littered.
And unreturned shopping carts? Don’t get me started. The simple act of returning a shopping cart to its designated area is a big deal to me. I’ve been know to sit in my car for 10-15 minutes on a busy day just to see how many people care about the little things. And I can unequivocally state that from what I’ve personally observed during this time, our society is in really deep doo doo.
There’s actually a Shopping Cart Theory that I find somewhat plausible, at least as it relates to relatively healthy young and middle-aged adults. (Of course, the elderly or those who have health and mobility issues aren’t included. And I might even extend across-the-board grace if it’s pouring the rain.) We’re talking about those who have no obvious physical excuse to leave the shopping cart unreturned, which makes up the largest percentage of shopping cart abandoners.
In a nutshell, the theory suggests that a person’s capacity to self-govern depends on whether they return their shopping cart to the stall or they leave it beside their car.
Or put another way, the theory helps determine whether a person is lazy and inconsiderate.
Too harsh? Perhaps. Are there exceptions? Of course. Have I ever been a lazy and inconsiderate shopping cart abandoner? Yeah. But then one day the wind blew a stray shopping cart into the side of my brand new car, leaving me a painful reminder of why it’s important to faithfully do the little things, and to do them well.
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”
Luke 16:10
In Luke 16:10, Jesus was referring to our integrity with money. But I think integrity covers a lot of other things we’re also responsible for in life. If we aren’t faithful with the small tasks in life, how can we be trusted with the big ones?
Former Blackout Artist 