We’re the future, so let’s clean up our act

We've all heard the saying many times and ways before: college is the time to explore our life options and find out who exactly we're supposed to be in the real world. It's also a time to grow into adulthood.

No, I'm not talking about responsible, and sometimes irresponsible, college activities that many have come to know so well. A more important aspect of adulthood is learning manners.

Although the traditional opening doors for others and saying, "bless you," after hearing a sneeze are good, timeless manners to follow, there are others that still linger outside the front door.

Anyone who's ever bought a brand new pair of shoes can imagine this scenario:
The shoes feel comfortable and look awesome. They may even instill some much needed self-confidence. Take them out for a stroll and the next thing you know, those new shoes have just stepped in a freshly-chewed piece of gum. Goodbye new accessory, hello plucking time.

Not a great visual, I'm sure. In fact, any UCF student could attest to finding at least one piece of gum underneath their desk at one time or another.

It's not fun sitting through an entire class period knowing that hands that have just found a previous student's chew toy need washing very soon.

I'm not bashing gum chewers. I love gum too, but I still know that I need to carry the wrapper or a napkin with me to throw it away once I'm done.

Gum is not the only man-made aggravation shoes can find. In my short 24 years, I have seen many people take that deep, hocking breath in and toss a big wad of spit onto a walking pathway. Yes, a pathway on which thousands of students make their way across campus daily.

 Any health sciences major could probably talk about bodily functions being normal. All humans have them. That's part of being alive.

Still, it doesn't seem productive to waste food-digesting saliva on the bottom of someone else's shoe. If it has to go somewhere, why not try the grass? At least there are natural wiping mechanisms to be found in the green blades.

I personally never understood the need to spit while performing sports such as baseball, but still, those athletes have sand. It's expected for them to spit in the sand.

Another object discovered by shoes doesn't come from humans. This one, ladies and gentlemen, comes from one of man's best friends. Who could forget our loving dogs?

My family has owned more than 15 dogs or puppies at one time or another. They're cute and sweet, but sometimes what comes out of them is far from that.

Our neighbor's dog, who frequently visited our yard, constantly reminded us of this inconspicuous fact.

There are more than 72 million dogs in the United States, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association's Web site.

People may think that the dog waste sinks into the earth and begins a new natural cycle.

The truth is that it has the possibility of getting into our water system through beaches and rivers without ever passing through any treatment facilities.

Results could be bacteria, parasites and worms that can cause physical illness. Let alone, it's not a pleasant sight to pass by on the way to your apartment.

The last intention I have is grossing people out, but the truth is some of these actions need to gross people out every once in a while.

None of these activities is solely limited to college campuses. Go out into the world and plenty of examples can be found.

What's important is to notice them now while we are discovering our own individual behaviors and characteristics.

This way as we struggle to find our purpose in life, our actions won't ruin someone else's perfectly good day by leaving an unwelcome surprise for their shoes, or worse, their wandering hands.