It was bound to happen and one day it did, 
Papa came home and it was just us kids . . .
Oops, that's a country song. Well, anyway, it WAS bound to happen (not that I'm a fatalist or anything). It was a bright and sunny North Carolina morning and my ten-year-old and I were driving west on Highway 64 heading for a soccer game. We weren't late, we weren't in a hurry, but unfortunately, as it turns out, we WERE speeding (actually, the use of "we" here is a bit unfair to my ten-year-old as he was merely reading his Kindle in the back seat, but then again, you're only as good as the company you keep)!
This is nothing new to me, of course. I have quite a colorful and varied collection of traffic violations to my name, though I've always been able to "talk my way out" of many of them, and allow enough time between the unfortunate other ones that points have never really stacked up very high against me, either. It has been a life-long game of staying just a couple steps ahead of the long-arm-of-the-highway-law. But I have been very good lately, very good. I have (had) a totally clean driving record with absolutely no points on it (I AM thankful those crazy parking tickets from Italy don't count)!
Don't get me wrong. I never leave the house determined or even planning to speed. I believe in highway safety and do not make light of this. However, it just seems that from time to time I look up and find my dashboard indicating a number a bit larger than those posted on the passing signs. This normally happens to me under the following conditions:
1. When I am in a good mood
2. When the sun is shining
3. When I am in a bad mood
4. When the sun isn't shining.
Other than those rare times, the only other thing that has gotten me into trouble is heart-pounding, mood-lifting music. Who can't ease on the horsepower a little when listening to that new favorite song?
But not this time.
It wasn't a song or music at all. It wasn't wanton disobedience or a blatant ignoring of posted signage. Nope. It was a sermon – good old fashion Christian preaching! I was so immersed in what the pastor was saying on that CD to which I was listening, the way he was illustrating his points, the method by which he was exegeting the scripture, etc. that I just flat lost track of my speed. It wasn't until I noticed that dark colored, unmarked car with flashing grill lights racing up behind me that I even had an inkling that I'd done anything wrong.
Knowing the drill, I quickly pulled over to a safe place way off the road, lowered my window, shut off the car, and placed both hands on the wheel. As the officer approached I almost laughed thinking he wouldn't believe my story.
"Do you know how fast you were going?" he asked, crouched behind the back passenger window near the relative safety of my gawking ten-year-old.
"Um, no idea, actually. I wasn't paying any attention."
"70 in a 55," he said disdainfully.
"Man," was all I could mutter.
"Are you in a hurry, sir?" he asked.
"Actually, no sir. I'm listening to a sermon on CD and it's the best preaching I've ever heard. The pastor was saying some stuff that has never even occurred to me before and I guess I was lost in thought."
"I'll be needing to see your license and registration."
When he finally got back to me with my ticket, $171 and 2 points (he guessed), I asked him the following:
"So I don't get a break because at least my reasons are getting better?"
To which he cooly replied, "Sorry sir, it's results that count."
(Honestly – you can't make this stuff up!)
My reasons may be getting better, but the officer had it dead right – it's results that count.
In life we need to go for better and better reasons, and sooner or later (sooner I hope, in the case of my driving), our results will get better too.
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