I was at the supermarket and watched a guy in shorts and sandals push his cart into an empty space and walk away.

Returning your cart isn’t required by law. Nobody gets fined. There’s no shopping cart police. It’s just the right thing to do — for the next person, for the workers, for the idea that we share a public space.

There’s no reward. You just didn’t make someone else’s day harder.

I return my cart almost every time. Not because I’m a great person, but because I can spare 30 seconds for a stranger.

And if we can’t handle returning a grocery cart, how do we handle the bigger tests of living together?

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