samantha who?

Wow! Ok, have you seen Samantha Who? On ABC, Mondays? I decided for the first time last night to check it out (after my post Shrek and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas cartoon fests were over. I have to watch my holiday cartoons. I have to! Don't laugh at me, I secretly know you do it too. I've been watching you with my binoculars! Ha, see, now you're not laughing. No, wait. Don't call the police, that's not what I meant by all that! I'm innocent, I swear it...) Whew, back on track! So anyway, this show has always looked funny to me, but I've never watched it. So I broke down and took in two episodes. Two hysterical episodes!

What was really great (and why I'm posting it on ole' method lust) is that the first episode was about environmentalism. Apparently she's been dating this really great guy, who is big into being green, saving the environment, and overall helping mankind. He does A LOT of things to accomplish this goal, but I don't really think they portrayed him as over the top or anything. The final straw comes at the end when she finds him in his apartment feeding a tiny lamb, which he says "He's nursing back to health, as it's mother was slaughtered. And so he's going to take care of it for a few weeks, then they're going to give it to a petting zoo... for the blind." - "Of course, for the blind." she says.

What's interesting is at first, she's all for it. The water saving shower heads, the vegetarian way of eating, the cleaning up parks and planting trees. All of it. But then she can't take it anymore, she actually lies to him just so she doesn't have to deal with all the "environmentalness" all the time. And then, when she finally admits she can't live her life like this anymore, he says "Ok, just be you. You be you, I'll be me." He's totally fine with it. Except now she feels like such a bad person; he's doing such good works, and every time she's around him, she feels bad. She eats a steak in front of him, and imagines him berating her as she's doing it. And in reality he's totally fine with it all.

It just made me think a little bit, about how even though I need to save that environment; for other people I know, it might be in baby steps. They might not be able to just jump in and go hog wild! (That's a West Virginia, saying, ok?) It may take them a bit longer. Hey, they may never get to where I am, or where I want them to be. But instead of berating them, hopefully I can be happy with what they've done, and where they're at. And not preach to them all day long. That's a hard one for me, the no preaching thing. I can get all heated up, you know. Show me a plastic bag, and I'll show you a fire and brimstone sermon just waitin' to come out!

So next time you're diligently separating the recycling; or adding to your compost, or begging your beloved to not use half the roll of toilet tissue in one sitting, ahem; just remember, baby steps for everyone. Be happy with where you are. Be happy with where they are (But they better well get on that no paper towel band wagon, and but soon! Oh, wait, sorry... right, baby steps. Darnnit!)

The moral of this story is: A little can go a long way. And make a bigger difference then you might think. (Do you agree? Thoughts?)