Clean up your act or piss off

Okay. 

So you come from a different country. Maybe a different state or province.  Who cares where you come from? I think I can safely conclude that there isn’t a jurisdiction on the planet that approves or allows the dumping of human waste in public places.

As I walked across the parking lot of the Post Falls Idaho Flying J truck stop, slowly nursing my McDonalds coffee, that worldly thought came to mind.

You see, I looked up from my fresh warm morning cup of delight to witness a driver dumping a rather large jug of his liquid waste on the ground.

 Broad daylight. No discretion of any kind. He just let the river flow.

It’s not the first time I have witnessed such a thing.  It is sad. We who beat our fists against the steering wheel wishing to be touted as professionals. We who sound the battle cry of proper compensation and accolades for our sacrifices are at best our own worst enemies.

Actions such as the one I was witnessing screamed of anything but professionalism or even warranted any form of professional recognition. 

Really! Come on now.

I had to do something about this. I had to send a message to this driver that this was not okay.

So, I walked up and stood about 20 feet  away from the driver’s side door where he was dumping his jug of fluids onto the ground.

I stood and watch. I locked my gaze his. My eyes never left his. I said nothing. He said nothing.  But his expression was that of a child who got caught stealing from the cookie jar.

I just kept looking at him as he continued to empty the jug. Seems like he was shrinking in his seat. Getting smaller.

“Well!” I asked. “What do you figure?”

Quicker than you can blink he pulled the jug back inside. Hustled out of his seat and disappeared into the sleeper of the truck. 

 I stood there for a couple minutes linger. Twice I saw him peaking out behind the curtains. 

Next, I knocked on his door. No answer. Knocked again. Still no answer. 

I didn’t know what I was going to do if he answered. Hadn’t thought that far.

But I decided to head back to my truck. I think I may have gotten my point across.  I’m sure it was embarrassing to get caught doing such a thing, which I suspect was why he hid in the sleeper.

Look: we are all  adults. We are supposed to be professionals. If you can’t accept that or curtail your behavior a little more on the discreet side, then you might want to stay indoors. 

When you think no one is watching, someone is always watching.  Yah, you could end up on YouTube and TikTok with your foolish deeds. Everybody wants to publicize the worst in everyone else.

It doesn’t matter where you are from: bad behavior can be found everywhere. But you get the choice whether to join in or rise above it.

Pick your spots. Pick your bottles. Most of all,  pick the kind of person that your family and colleagues would rather have you be.

 If you can’t do that, or care to, then  maybe it’s best you get out of the industry and just “piss off.”