It's not a "murse" damn it.

Thank God for the weekend. Honestly, it's the beginning of my real life outside of the weekly grind.

Today, I sat outside of a local coffee franchise that's not so ubiquitous like another place we all know. Just sitting at a table outside enjoying the weather and a dose of whipped cream floating above espresso, steamed milk, and three packets of Sp.lenda. While other latte loving ladies and gentleman enjoy their drinks and company, my eyes land on a guy on the sidewalk leaving the same franchise with a medium white paper cup full of his own customized caffeine goodness in one hand. The other hand holds a white plastic bag with office supplies from a nearby chain store that's not one of the large stores you can't live without. I think to myself, "Maybe he's got opened eyes like me that actually go against the grain of what's allegedly popular. He might not fall for the hype. Good for him!" Well, the white earbuds probably feeding Coldplay into his spirit from his pervasive i_Pod kinda killed that theory. Then again, what if he was jamming to "Scenario" by A Tribe Called Quest or even some classic Masta P???



I continued to enjoy and savor my own caffeine heaven in a paper cup while watching guy cross the busy four lane street. The only guy walking in this area right outside of a major university went calmly on his way, and he probably walked off to a residence to have enough paper for printing a huge assignment. That left me truly impressed that there were other people in Atlanta like me that didn't have to have a car for every single errand or event in their life. Maybe walking dude and I will save the planet together by inspiring our friends, loved ones, and even sworn enemies who cannot help admiring our commitment to think outside the bleak box of "the norm".

Unfortunately, one thing about dude slowly began to "grind my gears" (I love that line). My not-so-stuck in the matrix dude had a plastic shopping bag. Why was he just like my husband and probably other countless men that do not make effective use of a reusable shopping bag? They're honestly easier to carry since you can put it over your shoulder like a computer bag, a messenger bag, or... a shoulder bag. Why carry one, two, or even six merchandise-filled plastic bags with those flimsy handles that can hurt your fingers after about sixty seconds when you can put several items in one bag? I imagine that carrying those bags that can only hold a few cans or boxes at one time really suck if you are on foot.

The benefits make complete sense and far outweigh the cons to me as a woman, but it's almost like a crime against manhood to ask a man to think about the environment and not take the plastic bags from the stores. Men must think that if they carry their groceries, power tools, deodorant, or sneakers in reusable bags, then they've just pimp-slapped their masculinity out of their bodies to lay on the asphalt like a used-up crumpled street walker with baggy eyes and a few gray hairs. The bags come in so many varieties of looks and colors and prices, so it's not like the bags can be mistaken for a lady's handbag just because it's on the shoulder. So it's not a "murse" damn it but just a shopping bag. Seriously. It grind my gears that men can be so consumed with what they perceive to be an attack on their image when it's not that serious.

As a black woman with reusable bags, I always feel like I'm truly in the minority because I try to use my bags all the time. I have seen one other black woman use the reusable shopping bags in my area, and that makes me proud. However, I'm quite likely in the minority for being worried about one guy with a plastic bag. I'm confident there are a lot of men that refuse to embrace the reusable bags. That's beyond disappointing for me, but if a great number of people learned to embrace all of these social networks on the 'net, then maybe there's hope for coffee-sipping guys to buy and use reusable shopping bags. My fingers are crossed.