Coming out of McDonalds and holding breakfast for the family, I headed to my truck thinking about a minor work related issue. Started the truck and slowly backed out trying to avoid hitting the car parked to my right. Happy to clear it, I turned the wheel and reversed a little more so as to head out of the parking lot to the road. Suddenly I felt a bump and heard a noise. Thinking I had hit a trash can or some object in the parking lot, I got out of the truck only to discover I had hit a short brick wall. The warning tone that an object is in the way did not activate due to the shortness of the wall I guess. A quick assessment revealed about 10 bricks knocked out and pieces of concrete located in wrong places.
Returning inside McDonalds, I found the manager and gave him all my contact information and several apologies. He explained that it had happened about 100 times and most people simply drove away without leaving their name and number. I returned to the scene and studied on my mistake, justifying the accident based on the shortness of the wall and the lack of room to maneuver. Getting back in my truck and driving home with breakfast, I began to reflect on the event and realized that in the end, I was indeed negligent and should have been more aware of the wall. I chose to park in that spot and several years ago purchased a large truck that makes parking a challenge. I made the choices and therefore am to blame.
How often do we fool ourselves into believing we are free from responsibility? How often do we blame others for our own mistakes? How many times per week do we point fingers and avoid the honest personal reflection that makes us uncomfortable? It is much easier to blame others or to be angry at objects for getting in our path. I like blaming health issues or a lack of aptitude or the weather for problems that arise. It is fun to absolve myself of responsibility by claiming that I did nothing wrong and that the rest of the world is to blame.
While I did apologize for my mistake, in a way that is not really good enough. We can be sorry for the wrong things we do but it is only through some sort of punitive action that we receive redemption. Figuratively kicking myself may not be good enough to deter the poor driving or the wrong decisions. And so I wait for the phone call telling me what I owe McDonalds to fix their little brick fence and pay restitution for my crime. Perhaps I should try a different tactic: such as contacting an attorney and suing McDonalds for the emotional suffering I have experienced after hitting their little fence which is obviously in a bad place surrounding an inadequate parking lot. Yes...that's it! I can make a bunch of money off the restaurant and claim NO personal responsibility. I like it.
Yet even writing the words down causes a bad taste in my mouth. After all, in the end I am the one who drove poorly and caused the problem. An advocate for justice, truth, and responsibility, I encourage everyone to examine himself or herself in self-reflection, accepting responsibility when appropriate and always being honest.
Okay, sorry for the preaching. Now I need to figure out how to be a better driver!
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