What on earth could a rolled up piece of paper on a place mat have to do with my photograph of the day? That, friends, is the ticket I got for driving an uninspected vehicle in the state of NY. Received a mere 2 days after my previous inspection expired.
Now, I did not post on this to complain, but Rather because how I reacted to this taught me a lot about myself as a person. I had a woman cop, which was my first problem. I probably could have talked my way into a warning if I had had a male. I even had a legitimate story. I haven't truly lived in NY for the past year and a half and have only even been in the state a mere 20 days since I've been to grad school. It makes no sense for me to pay for an inspection when I live in a state that doesn't even know what that means. I like the fact that it ensures my car is safe, but I do the required routine maintenance and am a pretty good judge of when things are going wrong.
The cop told me what was wrong, asked for my license and registration, and walked away. There was no way I could have plead, she wasn't going to listen to it. When she returned with the ticket, she explained how to turn it in and told me to drive safely. Didn't even tell me to get my car inspected (I thought that was amusing). What amazed me was that at first I was mad that I had to pay, even though I was completely at fault, because I had a fair excuse. But I thought about it from my own point of view as a resident director. I spend many nights trying to teach young adults responsibility. Many plead cases, that I will listen to, but always end the same way..."I understand what you are saying, but I do not hold any weight in the decision making process regarding outcomes for your actions". This woman was doing her job, very clear cut. I was in the wrong, and there was no denying that. I respected that. Rather than get angry I wasn't given the chance to plea my case, I completed understood the desire to do your job and do it well. The fact that she even noticed the color of my sticker is far more than my eye could probably catch.
So while yes, I can begin the new year with paying NY state $150 in a fine for my violation (thankfully that will not put points on my license), I begin with a positive attitude. Everybody's got their role to play and people who do their job well shouldn't be looked at with haste anytime something doesn't go your way.
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