"Breathe"

I love bumper stickers. You know, those pithy comments we would never have the nerve to say to someone's face, which, when plastered to the rear bumper of a car, suddenly become socially acceptable. They tell the rest of the world (mostly complete strangers) which organizations we belong to, which candidates we voted for in the last election (or the last three, if we've had the car for awhile) and which social causes we subscribe to. Then there are the entertaining tidbits of dry humor and twisted irony.

I believe that the words on your bumper say a lot about who you really are. Sometimes, when I see a particularly interesting rear end statement, I'll speed up and pass the vehicle to see the driver, just so I can see what kind of person would say such a thing. I know, it's not fair to judge. Maybe the driver just borrowed the car from her brother-in-law, right? And she has no idea what propaganda she is spreading as she mosies on down the freeway.

Although I have enjoyed reading others' bumper stickers for as long as I have been driving, it's only been in the last five or six years that I've put them on my own car. It all started when someone backed into me in the church parking lot and put a nasty little dent in my rear bumper. Not a big enough dent to warrant a costly repair, but noticeable enough that I wanted to cover it up. And what better cover-up that a bumper sticker?

So, here's an inventory of what is on my rear bumper:

Great Old Broads for Wilderness [with the logo in the round]

Let children play! [purchased in protest of all-day kindergarten in our local schools]

There is no Planet B [a gift from my son-in-law, but a sentiment I share]

Protect Wild Utah [in support of the red rock wilderness I love]

Environmentalists do it for the next generations. [This is a very small sticker. My youngest daughter recently informed me it has a double meaning, but I claim ignorance of such.]

Sierra Club [This is actually a small window sticker.]

I'm running out of room on my bumper, but I've purposely saved a center space for the perfect MCS awareness sticker, something I have yet to find. I did see one the other day at the local health food store that said simply, "Breathe." If only I could, breathe that is. I think I want something a little more direct, but not too in-your-face, blunt, but in a kindly way.

So, what's on your bumper?