I have lots of pet peeves, but one that bothers me the most people who illegally park in handicap parking spots when they are not handicapped. While this abuse takes place all over the nation, there is a common place -close to home- where it happens most. Where is this taking place you might ask? Well Thomasville's very own parking lot of the YMCA. There is one vehicle in particular (I will withhold details of said car as the violator could very well be someone, someone else may know) that abuses this parking rule on a DAILY basis. Even for a minute-and with your car running (stupid act #2)-you are not ALLOWED to park there! So, the other day Caroline and I are parked (legally), getting our stuff, reading ourselves to walk in, and said violator comes in (at about 40mph) and parks all caddywankas (get that one spell check) taking up both handicap spots to let their kid (who lets remember is innocent in all of this) out. The best part is that the parking lot was not crowded and there were numerous spots -legal ones- to park in just feet away. Well, for whatever reason I had just had it and made my comment of "man, that really gets me." My sweet child pipes up and asks "what's wrong, mommy?" So, I tell her that someone is parking where they are not supposed to park and they are not handicapped so they are breaking the law. Caroline looks at me and asks "so, why don't we make her handicapped so she can park there, mommy?" While I know this was completely innocent as she is just trying to match a behavior to a rule, I couldn't help but detect a small amount of Tony Soprano in her sweet little voice and think I caught that "look" in her eye. For a second there I thought she was actually on to something...then I snapped out of it. I replied with "well, we cannot do that, but maybe one day the police man will write her a ticket and she will learn her lesson." Then Caroline asks more about the violator and why she is bad for breaking the rule. Tyring to come up with a way for her to better explain, I mention how her Da(her grandfather) is allowed to park there- my father has a pass to park in handicap spots, he has a decal and also has a purple heart tag, he served our nation for 25 years and took more bullets for it than a LA crypt gang member- and not "lazy-able-body-Annie."
What if he couldn't park where he needed to since this jackass (OK, I didn't call the violator a JA in front of Caroline) took his spot? Well, Caroline got a little fired up when she realized that her Da just had "his" spot stolen. Again, I saw the twinkle in her eye and ...can I admit this, felt pride. While I know there is not much I can do--lets face it, I live here, my child goes there and I am not about to become the law enforcer to someone who has no blatant awareness of their illiteracy or laziness (sorry, you cannot read that big ass blue sign, violator?)- I do know that one day they will learn her lesson. Maybe one day while lazy-Annie leaves her car running, it will just "drive" away. Maybe one day, someone will coordinate a fleet of permitted vehicles to block her in so she can be really late to wherever she feels she is SO important to get to, that she has to break the law with parking. Maybe one day Deputy Dan will place a ticket on her windshield. or maybe one day I will bring Genga (AKA, my law dog) in to act as though she is "casing" the car for over-the-border drugs due to a "tip" called in. Who knows. I have more things in life to worry about and put forth efforts, but the fact that violator blatantly disregards others pisses me off.
So, to the child of said violator, if a small quarter-Italian kid happens to not share the swing when you ask her for it (all while shouting something about her "Da") please know it is just a protective instinct....oh, and she will not be punished by me for that one. Feel free to tell your parent when she is parked up front.
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