Pay What You Owe & Be Free
It was raining really hard last week and I had to run into a restaurant to pick up dinner. It happened to Saturday, and I was tempted to just double park. Instead I found a spot, and ran into the restaurant. What I failed to remember is to put money into the meeter. Well it turned out to take longer than I imagined inside, and by the time I came back out into the rain, you guessed it, I had a ticket.
I thought to myself, jeez, I was only in there a minute and when did they start charging at the parking meters on a Saturday anyway. Then the thoughts turned to, ‘well it should only be $25.00 anyway’. All the excuses came flooding into mind how I shouldn’t have to pay. When I looked at the ticket I realized the fine was a little over $50.00 which made me a little mad, and then I gave in, and thought ‘that’s what you get for thinking you can double park, or just park anywhere when it’s raining and not have to deal with the consequences. It’s a lazy attitude I can easily get into instead of always doing the right thing, even when it’s challenging (or raining in this case). It also made me appreciate the fact that I can pay my bills; I am responsible; I can do the right thing; I am practicing towards perfect (though I may never reach it); and I don’t have to look over my shoulder because I’m angry at ‘the man’ – I realize my challenges and accept them for what they are.
This switch or choice in attitudes makes a huge difference for me. Think about the two options; If I got upset about getting the ticket and refused to pay it, it would get bigger, and my stress about it would also grow. It might fester in my mind; I could eventually get pulled over for speeding and end up in jail… all this would be the result of not accepting responsibility for the initial ticket and pay the $53 fine. Which is worse? I think it’s much worse to hold onto an issue and let it fester and grow than dealing with it, accepting it, vow to be more cognizant of it in the future and yes, move on!! It’s such an amazing gift to be able to have this insight. Such an amazing time to be present and aware of my actions, and the direct consequences. In my younger years, I have parked in a handicapped spot, and did not get a ticket. My moral compass told me it was wrong, sure. Would I do it today? No way. But if I did, I would fully expect to pay the fine.
One thing about accepting responsibility (and in this case paying the $53. fine) is, it frees me up to live my best life. I am not worried about going 5 mph over the speed limit – because if I get pulled over, I know exactly what’s in store – and don’t have to walk around with a mental chip on my shoulder because I know I have ’something on my record’ (even if it’s just a parking ticket). That’s freedom, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
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