09/26/2026
I saw something today that just made me sad.
I was walking into Kroger at Crosstown and saw a man with an empty Pepsi bottle in one hand and another bottle in the other. He just flipped the empty one onto the ground and kept walking into the store like it was completely normal.
We all see litter around town, so obviously this mentality is out there. But actually watching someone intentionally use our community as their trash can just hit differently.
I saw him again inside the store and, for the first time, I actually said something to someone I had seen litter. He was older than me, so it felt a little awkward, but I kindly said, “Sir, I saw you throw your Pepsi bottle on the ground as you walked in. We all work really hard to keep our community beautiful for everyone to enjoy. Please, next time, use a trash can.”
He looked down and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
I didn’t pick up the bottle. I left it there hoping that when he came back out to his car, he would see it and choose to pick it up himself. I have no idea what he decided to do, but I can only hope that having another citizen kindly remind him that there is a better way made him think differently.
This isn’t about calling someone out or embarrassing anyone. It’s just a reminder that throwing litter on the ground isn’t okay.
We all share this community. We all want it to look nice. And keeping Tupelo beautiful really does come down to small choices we each make every day.
