Monday, April 11, 2011

That’s A $250.00 Fine!

I used to work for an attorney who was the Tuesday night traffic court judge.  It was interesting to work those nights and see all the people who came in.  Most gave the most ridiculous excuses for why they had been speeding, driving drunk, etc.  The judge was an easy going type guy, but rarely took any slack from them.  Often, he had to put his hand over his face to keep from cracking up.  It was a very enjoyable part of my job.
I remember some of the excuses people would give for parking in a Handicap Parking space:  they were running late for work and just needed to run into the grocery store for a minute and it was the closest spot; they had twisted their ankle and thought it would qualify for a handicap; they didn’t notice the sign, and a hundred other excuses.  None of them held up and they were always fined.
When I was at the doctor’s Thursday, he said that if I would get a form from the DMV, he would fill it out to get me a Handicap Parking Permit.  It was a nice gesture, but one that I have thought a lot about since then.
I guess we all would like to think we will be fit and healthy until our last breath, knowing that it probably is not true.  I guess I wanted to think that I was not as bad off as I sometimes am. 
A Handicap Sticker puts me in “that” group.  You know the ones – they hold the checkout line up with their motorized carts, walkers or just slow stride; they get irritated when people bump past them; they always seem to be in a bad mood; they seem to expect people to give them room and treat them better than others. 
I refuse to comply.  I will use my sticker because most days I cannot walk a long distance.  The further I walk, the number my leg gets and more likely I am to fall.  But I WILL NOT be one of those crabby people most associate with Handicap Stickers!
I plan on starting a new group………..the Happy-To-Be-Alive-And-Able-To-Get-Around Handicap Sticker Group…………anyone want to join?????!!!!!!!!!!!! J

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