Thank you on behalf of the Earth!

It happened while I was walking down Kalakaua Avenue in Hawaii, sipping an iced coffee.

As I was crossing the street, a sudden gust of wind blew the lid off my iced coffee. Just as I managed to catch it before it flew into the road and stood back up, a large, bearded man walking from the other side smiled at me and said, "Thank you!" as he passed by.

My head was filled with question marks. I thought, "I dropped it, so it's only natural that I pick it up... but..." and I couldn't say anything back. But the moment I started walking again, I realized why he had said "Thank you!" and I couldn't help but feel happy.

He was thanking me on behalf of the Earth. Thanking me for not littering.

Since then, I have remembered this moment many times. When people are thanked or praised, they find it hard to betray that trust, don't they? (laughs)

We often end up putting a burden on the Earth in our pursuit of convenience, but let's be more polite and kind to the Earth. After all, the Earth is not something that belongs to humans.

To the bearded man I will likely never meet again: thank you for saying "Thank you!" in such a refreshing way!