, Yesterday, I hopped on the LIRR for what I thought would be an ordinary ride. I found my seat, settled in, and glanced around the way you do when you’re killing time. That’s when I saw it. Wads of gum. Not one or two, but a whole colorful collection wedged between the seats and pressed against the wall like some kind of gross modern art installation.
I sat there, staring, thinking, Who does this?
Seriously. There’s a trash can steps away. There are trash cans on the platform. There are trash cans practically everywhere. And yet, someone or a host of folks decided the perfect resting place for their chewed-up gum was the exact spot where the next person might rest their arm or their bag. Charming.
A Tale of Two Train Systems
Here’s what really got me thinking. As I sat there dodging the gum, my mind wandered to all the trips I’ve taken through Europe and Asia. And you know what I remember most about the trains there? They were spotless.
I’ve ridden trains in Japan where the seats gleamed, and the floors were so clean you could practically eat off them. In parts of Europe, I stepped onto trains that felt more polished than some hotel lobbies I’ve stayed in. People carried out what they carried in. No sticky mysteries. No garbage tucked into corners. Just clean, comfortable rides where everyone seemed to silently agree: we share this space, so let’s keep it nice.
Coming home to gum-covered seats felt like a bit of a slap in the face.
It’s Not Just the Trains
And honestly? It’s not just public transportation. The more I thought about it, the more examples came flooding in.
A little while back, I was out enjoying a bike ride on a beautiful trail. Fresh air, sunshine, the whole picture-perfect scene. Then I spotted it: a used diaper. Just tossed aside on the trail as it belonged there. A little farther down? A glass bottle, waiting to shatter and slice open some poor cyclist’s tire or worse.
Well, thank you so much. Nothing says “enjoy nature” like sidestepping someone else’s trash.
After 250 Years, Where’s the Pride?
We live in a genuinely beautiful country. We’ve had 250 years to figure out how to treat one another and the spaces we all share. So why does it still feel so hard for so many of us?
I don’t think it comes down to trash cans, laws, or signs telling us not to litter. I think it comes down to respect. Respect for the stranger who sits down after us, for the family enjoying that same bike trail, and for the country we call home.
When I travel abroad and see how well people care for their shared spaces, I don’t feel jealous. I feel hopeful. Because it proves it’s possible. It shows that clean trains and litter-free trails aren’t some impossible dream. They’re just the result of people choosing, every single day, to do the right thing.
So here’s what I keep coming back to: after all this time, why can’t we take better care of the spaces we share? What would it take for each of us to carry out what we carry in, to toss our gum in the trash, to treat public spaces like they actually belong to all of us?
Maybe it starts small. Maybe it starts with you and me.