Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom
Not too long ago I got a ticket for turning right on red between the hours of 7-9 a.m. at Parker and Country Club near Wylie Texas. This is the route I always take NOW - going through downtown Wylie as it turns into Parker Rd. It is a very pretty scenic drive through the country but it is also very dangerous. There have been numerous fatalities from accidents on Parker Rd. and of course one of those fatalities was my daughter Alexis. For some reason it in more important for me to take this route now so that I can pass the cross on the side of the road with the owl on top. And each morning I arrive at the intersection in question, the intersection where I got my ticket.
Last week I joked on Facebook that from this point forward I would not turn right on red no matter how much honking or how many hand gestures came my way because this ticket cost me $185. But this morning I was wondering how I got to the point that I just blatantly disregarded this traffic sign. The day I got the ticket I didn’t even think twice. It was 8:50, the light was red, and no one was coming so I turned right. In that moment I saw an officer standing next to his motorcycle waving at me to pull into the entrance at Sonic. Even then I wasn’t sure what I had done wrong until he told me of my infraction. I didn’t argue or try and make excuses; I was just somewhat surprised that I wasn’t even aware that I had broken the law.
Today I thought back to how I slowly desensitized myself to this obvious law in place. I recalled in the beginning when I made this my regular route having thoughts that this was really a stupid sign because there was never that much traffic, there is nothing obstructing your view, and it didn’t seem anyone paid attention to it anyway. EVERY DAY people were turning right on red at all times. My thinking then changed to this must be okay since everyone else is doing it and I had never seen anyone get in trouble which led me to believe even law enforcement doesn’t want to enforce this ridiculous sign. So I followed suit and just turned right on red at any time I wanted along with my other commuters. At first I would have a twinge of conscience thinking “this isn’t right” but I would quickly dismiss it and remind myself “everyone else is doing it and it is a stupid sign anyway” then I would smile smugly and feel better. As time went on I didn’t even look or think about the sign anymore. I had become so comfortable with this action it was now completely acceptable to me BUT it wasn’t right!! I broke the law knowingly and it got to the point where the little warning bells that go off in my head (my conscience) telling me that I was doing something wrong didn’t go off anymore. I had silenced them with my rationalization and justification. They are now turned back because I got a ticket that hurt and will hurt for a while but I wonder if eventually the pain will fade and I will revert back to my old way of thinking (I think this is why there is so much recidivism in prison) but instead of randomly turning right on red I will look around for an officer of the law and only turn if I won’t get caught. THIS THOUGHT PROCESS FRIGHTENS ME!!! THIS IS HOW WE GET SO OFF TRACK IN OUR LIVES. IT’S A SLOW FADE……………………………..THIS IS HOW VALUES AND MORALS GET COMPROMISED AND WE DON’T EVEN SEE THE CHANGES IN PLACE..
When I share my testimony I talk about small compromises and this is another example that describes what can happen. I am just amazed that I fell for this and got so off track when I speak of this so often. But here is where I failed, even though I talk about small compromises I talk about them in the sense of major struggles: drug addiction and theft. So in the small areas ( minor –misdemeanor traffic violations) I guess I thought I was immune and this wouldn’t affect my morals, values, and character but it did and it could have gotten so much worse.
We must have boundaries in place that we will not cross and NOT ONLY not cross we CAN’T budge them , we can’t move them even if just slightly. I need to remember that is how I went from Pompons to Prison: ))))))
I am very thankful I got that ticket because it taught me a valuable lesson in the way I think and how my thinking can get so off track.