My girls were thrilled to find a small garter snake in our yard today. They thought it was cute. I explained that garter snakes are harmless, and that they help keep bugs and rodents under control. For a few minutes, this tiny creature turned into a little moment of wonder for them. A couple hours later, a golf cart full of young men drove past our yard on the course we live on. One of them yelled, “Look, a snake!” The driver shouted, “I’ll get it!” and swerved the cart to run it over. Then he backed up and ran it over again. And again. His friends laughed. It all happened too fast for me to stop it. After they drove away, I went over, gathered the broken body of the little snake, and hid it in the rough so my daughters wouldn’t see it. I know it was “just a snake.” But I felt sick. Something that had filled my girls with curiosity and wonder was killed for a moment of amusement. And I can’t stop thinking about how much better the world would be if more people learned to protect small, harmless things instead of finding joy in destroying them.