I used to carry a backpack instead of a purse. I had a regular sized one for the weekdays and a small ‘fashionable’ one for weekends and evenings. They were easier to carry and held all the ‘stuff’ I needed – like chap stick and breath mints along with highlighters, pens, a screwdriver (one never knows!), extra sticky notes, usually a set or two of papers to grade, my plan book, a book to read, my MP3 player. You get the idea. Now, because I am retired and because I don’t stray far from home (I can’t – the island is only 27 miles long and 7 miles wide!), I carry a small purse. My purse usually holds only the most important items – my wallet, sun screen, sun glasses, chap stick, my phone. As of last week, my purse has a new permanent resident, a piece of equipment for my daily life that is an essential tool for life.
My metal straw.
What? Essential? I know that sounds silly, but I it isn’t. You see, among all the strife and hardship this world has to offer, and on this island where recycling is only barely beginning, pot holes can swallow small cars, and many people still have tarps for roofs, one of the greatest threats to humanity and the environment has recently been identified. Yes, of course I am talking about the dreaded plastic straw. Health conscious pubs and bars and restaurants are no longer supplying straws, and the horrified looks one receives if one asks can chill to the bone even in the tropics. You see, apparently, plastic straws end up by the gazillions in the sea somehow and present a terrible health risk to coral and turtles, therefore straws have fallen from favor. Now I have limited experience, but personally, I’ve never encountered a plastic straw at the beach or in the water. Ever. I have seen the errant flop-flop, the occasional pair of swim trunks (How?), and lots of Styrofoam containers and beer bottles among the coral and fish, but never a straw. Hmmm. But I digress. I like straws. I use straws to slurp up smoothies and mojitos, water with lemon and margaritas. I don’t like drinking from a glass. So, what’s a girl to do?
Well, you buy a metal straw and carry it around with you so that whenever the Caribbean spirit asserts itself and you find yourself sipping a cool thirst-quencher on an afternoon out with your husband and / or friends, you can whip it out and thoroughly relax and enjoy without hard looks or damage to the reefs. Problem solved. Sort of. Now all I have to do is figure out how to keep the lint from the bottom of my purse out of it during transport…
