Doing The {Next} Right Thing, as I’ve already mentioned, has often presented me with conflict.

This conflict is pretty easy to break down. Or, should I say it comes to a confliction of action versus non action, getting out of my comfort zone and doing what should be done.

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t always do what should be done. But I’m getting there.

The other day while walking Murphy, I quickly went through the bags I had brought with me. It has to be a law of divinity that when you run out of bags, your dog is going to keep shitting.

To my horror, he chose {what felt like} the most public, open yard in the most glaringly obvious of places in a house that I try to steer him away from.

The owner has never seemed all that friendly and I have always tried to avoid it for the very reason of never wanting to run out of bags and have Murph pick that yard.

Naturally, I was a ticking time bomb.

As I stood there, debating what to do — to go up to the door or just haul ass away as quickly as I could, it struck me how ridiculous it even was to even contemplate.

I took a deep breath, and walked up to the door, just as the owner was pulling in the driveway, looking quizzically at me. I explained the delicate situation and asked if he might have a bag I could use.

He laughed, told me not to worry about it and be on my way. As I turned to leave, he said, you’re the only person whose ever bothered to come tell me and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.

This is how simple it is, People. If we all did this, in all those situations where we feel we don’t know what to do, reach out or hold in … I think the only thing to do is reach out.

When we put ourselves out there, we disarm. Common courtesies go a long ways. It comes back to that simple act of caring for each other.

Changing the world isn’t so hard after all.