Spending time with my family is one of the things that I love the most. Bonding with my immediate or extended families is really fun times and I just can’t exchange it with any other moments. But this rarely happens especially if everyone is already occupied. Choosing a schedule for some bonding time is not that easy especially for extended families to come together. But whenever the time comes, it is usually a happy day. Moments like this make us forget some problems that we encounter along the way and just be thankful for everything that has been given to us.
Going on a nature trip or at the beach really relaxes our mood and helps us have peace of mind. Problems within the family cannot be avoided so going out from time to time would really be a treasured moment especially if it’s spent with my family. And if there are long holidays or during summer vacations, my cousins and I together with our children, always make it a point to go on road trips together. As an old adage said, “the more, the merrier.”
As for my immediate family, it is very rare for us to be together because my husband works out of town so it is just me and my daughter left at home whenever she does not have classes. And so, whenever my husband is on vacation at home, we always make it a point to have quality time together. Having him at home really makes us thankful for the chance. We usually go on trips away from our hometown and travel to places which we haven’t visited before. We love going on trips that involve nature like going to the beach or at a park, and the benefits of nature to mental health are unquestionable.
And one basic rule that I tell my family during trips would be to throw trash properly. I always make it a point to bring extra storage for trash whenever no trash cans are available around. Having trash during trips can’t really be avoided because you are on the go and the tendency is you will just have to buy whatever is needed than pack everything from your house. But as much as possible, we also need to minimize these tendencies to just buy and buy especially disposable materials. It just adds up to the pile of garbage that our Mother Nature is collecting. It is still much better to pack the essentials from your household because in this way, you get to save Mother Nature as well as your hard-earned money that can still be spent on other important things during travel or when travel emergencies occur.
It just saddens me to see people disregarding the environment whenever they travel. What I usually notice during our trips is that there are those people who just throw away their trash whenever and wherever they want. Especially during sea trips, when trash bins are situated at almost every corner of the ship but people still throw garbage to the ocean. This really saddens me as I am a pro-nature person so I always make it a point not to loiter anywhere especially on seas. Our non-biodegradable garbage will surely harm sea creatures that feed us in one way or another.
And when walking around parks or just anywhere around the area, have the decency to look for trash cans around the area. And if no trash bin is available around, one should just keep the trash or have some plastic to store the garbage temporarily. I always make it a point to teach my daughter not to throw garbage anywhere and be mindful of her surroundings. As the elders always say, “clean as you go.”
In one way or another, we can always do our part to protect the environment. We can teach our children small ways of loving our nature like not throwing garbage anywhere or to always make it a point to look for trash bins whenever they need to throw something. It may be a small thing but it can be a big help already to our surroundings. If this small thing is practiced by many, surely, blockage on sewerage systems on roadsides will be avoided and therefore will really help whenever strong rains occur.
But I also believe that protecting the environment should not be a personal issue only. Before reprimanding the community with regards to the garbage disposal or environmental protection, every family should consider this an important matter that should be discussed thoroughly within the household. For one, garbage segregation should be practiced so we will know what to recycle and only throw away those items that are not really needed. Eating junk foods or pre-packed foods should also be minimized because having lots of those at home will surely add up to your pile of garbage. Caring for the environment and practicing it at home is a big step in minimizing the pollution that the environment has been receiving.
At certain times, family gatherings can also be a culprit in spreading more trash without them realizing but we can always change this notion by being aware of the environment. We should realize that the world is giving us a place to stay so we should give back by taking care of it.