Some time ago the city of Dallas placed a ban on plastic shopping bags; personally I was thrilled.  I think if you wanted one you had to pay a nickel.  And then suddenly they lifted it.  After that grocery workers began double bagging and throwing them at you like confetti.  “IT’S FREE!” they would gleefully exclaim.  According to National Geographic, last year over eight million tons of plastic were dumped into the ocean annually; EIGHT MILLION TONS.  I personally strive to reduce my ecological “footprint” as much as I am able.  I have receipts emailed, we recycle everything we possibly can, and we never EVER waste.  The last was simply my upbringing.  My folks came up during the Great Depression and I learned the value of not discarding anything in haste.  However, I have lived among the wealthy long enough to know they simply eschew taking home leftovers.  One thing I have always loved about my husband is, despite his monetarily fortunate upbringing, he has never been ashamed to ask for a “doggie bag.”  I remember when we were in Guatemala several of us wanted to feed our leftovers to the stray dogs (as we had no way of eating it later) and the look of abject horror that crossed our tour guide’s face.  He informed us there were people who could use our food.  Pulling over, he gave the remainder of our lunches to a thin, blind man and I heard him say, “God bless you” under his breath.  I will never, EVER forget that.  If my daughter loses something, she does not get another.  I was reared that way out of necessity; she is being reared that way out of responsibility.  For shopping, personally, I prefer the “permanent” bags and it is the easiest thing in the world to keep them in your trunk.  I have insulated ones, some for shopping in the mall, and some just for hauling.  I went to the car and pulled a few out for this picture.  My favorite bag in the world is my “Chat Noir” bag you see to the left.  I got it in Paris (they are SO far ahead of us) and I confess I love it so much I do not even use it.  However, I use the rest almost daily.  The fox you see is the only one I paid for and it came from Cracker Barrel.  I use it for holding socks whenever my little one goes to bounce houses and other play areas which require them.  I keep my own fox socks in them for whenever I wish to join her.  The “I Love Paris” I got on our last trip to Paris and it is great for holding things like creamer and butter.  Below that is a grocery bag I bought for a dollar that has the Dallas skyline on it.  The bag holds a lot and makes me happy.  It is hard to see but the bag underneath came from our beloved Naples, Florida, so when I use it a bit of sand, ocean, and sunshine it accompanies it.  Along those lines, the bottom cloth bag I got free in Mexico.  Burk and I were in a “museum” which sold tequila.  After sampling several shots on an empty stomach in the middle of the heat of the afternoon, of course I fell in love with what I would discover would be the most expensive.  I confess I am a words person and not the sharpest knife in the proverbial mathematical drawer.  So I had an inkling the darn stuff must have been expensive when they said I got a “free” bag with it.  We have only found one place in the United States where we can order it now but I always smile when I use the bag and think of our trip and how naive we were.  You cannot see it well by this picture but there is a bag people are so impressed with that came from Neiman Marcus; it was free with the purchase of my cosmetics.  I suspect it is because it looks like real leather, but thankfully it is plastic.  I was fortunate enough to get my cloth Chanel bag the same way; free with my purchase.  It is now our taekwondo bag.  The American novelist and travel writer Hanya Yanagihara said:

“Every traveler knows too well the endless quest for the perfect travel bag: the one that’s stylish enough to carry through Paris, sturdy enough to tote around Peru, and – most important – doesn’t make your shoulder sag even before you’ve loaded it up with everything you need for a day of sightseeing.”

I take pleasure in knowing I am not further damaging our environment, and, as I go about shopping, I know it’s all in the bag.