When I was ten years old, the only thing I was worried about was who I should play with at recess. However, that all changed when my grandma told me about an annual cleanup that happens at the lake every may. At first, I wasn't thrilled about the idea of having to pick up other people's litter, but I was soon persuaded to help. It made me realize that sometimes people can get so caught up on things that don't matter, that they miss the things that do. When the day of the cleanup finally rolled around, it was a desert. Because nobody showed, they decided to reschedule it for the next weekend. My grandma and I thought it would be a fantastic idea to try and advertise the cleanup as much as possible. We made phone calls, social media posts, and even spread the word to the customers at her restaurant. Eventually, the day of the cleanup came. It was packed in fact, over a hundred people showed up. My cousin Drew and I decided that we should go cleanup around the shoreline. It was disgusting, there was trash everywhere! As we cleaned up, we noticed that a duck had a baby blue piece of plastic dangling out of its mouth, but just as it flew away the tiny piece of garbage slipped out of the duck's bill. This established to me and my cousin that not only does the trash look awful, but it also has a big impact on the wildlife too. “People can pass by this every day, and no think anything of it.” he stated. “I know” I replied softly. Later that night, I had thought a lot about what he said, and how I was a part of the problem. Before the cleanup I could have cared less about the pollution on the ground and in the water. In fact, people all around the world don't even come close to understanding what they are doing to this planet, and I wanted to make a difference. Now when I see trash that I can pick up I always do to try and help make earth a better place. Overall, if there is something you truly believe in, then you shouldn't be afraid to encourage others to help. It doesn't take much to make a difference, but even a small change can have a huge impact.