Making a Difference!

There's a certain quirkiness about me that could be cute or annoying depending on how you look at it, but bottom-line, it is downright frustrating (especially for me).
It is very frustrating when I won't leave the house unless I've laid my bed (regardless how late I am). It is very frustrating when I'm running late, but the hair brush is out of place and it just has to be in its place before I can leave. It is extremely frustrating when I walk by a mat (it could be anywhere; in my house, in someone's house, in my office, in someone's office, in a restaurant, at any random place) that's out of place and I just have to straighten it before I walk by. The few times I tell myself I'm being ridiculous (especially when the mat is in a place that's totally none of my business) and I walk on by, just when I'm about to go, "whoopee! I did it! I didn't do me", I turn around, walk back to the mat, straighten it, and slink away with an, 'oh-boy!-I-did-it-again' look on my face. Oh yes! I do get curious stares every now and then, but it's me! I explain it away to myself (and anyone who'll listen) as very (extremely very) mild OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I don't know about the disorder part, but I do know about the obsessive bit. And all that is not even half of it! I wash my hands minimum 30 times a day, I clean anything and every space I come in contact with before touching, breathing (seriously), and the list goes on and on. I won't get started on my use of hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes. Suffice to say my room is so clean you could eat off the floor? But who does that (eat off the floor)? Sometimes, I do rebel and I'm the complete opposite of me! (not often enough though)

Sometime about 2 weeks ago, I was driving around James Town when my car started to overheat. I got off the main road and parked on this football-like field, got out of the car and got some sachets of water from a nearby shop. I opened the hood and waited for the engine to cool. I then opened the radiator and emptied the water into it. With each sachet I used, I folded and put the empty sachet next to the windshield of my car. The sachets were done but the radiator wasn't full. Realising I needed more water, I removed the empty sachets, and was about to place them inside my car so that I drop them into the bin at home (I didn't see one around), when I heard, "sister, sister". I looked up and saw 2 women sitting at the other end of the field. They were both motioning with their hands, pointing to the ground. I was confused and didn't get what they were saying. I walked over, and one said I should drop the empty sachets on the ground, that the kids would come for them. I do know some people collect used  plastic (especially empty water sachets) for the purposes of recycling (I believe they are paid for the plastic they turn in; the more plastic, the greater the payment), and I was willing to help, but I did not see how I could litter in the name of helping (or in the name of anything). I walked back to my car, picked up all the empty sachets, locked the car and handed them to one of the women. She thanked me and I moved to the shop to get more water. This time, the lady selling the water placed all the sachets I bought into a plastic bag.

I emptied the water into my radiator. When it started to overflow, I poured the rest into the coolant tank. I put the empty sachets into the plastic bag, and delivered the bag and its contents to the ladies. I noticed the lady still held on to the initial stash I'd given her. She took the bag and added the first batch of sachets to it, thanked me while I said goodbye and left. I got into my car and drove off noticing that the lady still had the plastic bag in her hand. I won't be surprised though if she dropped everything as soon as I was out of sight, but at least, she was a good citizen for about 10 minutes because of me (or maybe she didn't drop it all when I was out of sight; I like to believe in the goodness of people; maybe, in those 10 minutes, she got to understand the folly of littering).
Well, all I know is, that's how to make a difference (one empty sachet at a time); by putting up exemplar behaviours others can (have no choice but to) copy and make the world a better place!

Yeah, I almost die every harmattan; the dust!