Moral Compass

Alrighty, my disclaimer is that I know better than what my actions dictated and that being in "corporate America" for the past 5 years has taken a toll on my psyche.

This morning, at the intersection just down the street from my house, I was the third car in line to turn left. I was doing great with time, listening to a good interview with James Blount on the radio, getting my mind ready for the day. So the green turn arrow comes on and the first car goes, the second car goes and WHAAAMM a car comes and reams the older couple as they're almost completing their turn hitting them square in the driver's side rear. It's almost like I saw that car coming in slow motion. 2 high school girls, Hawaiian seat covers, laughing and completely oblivious that they were running a light. Everyone was okay. Both cars pulled out of the way of traffic and then (here's the part I'm completely ashamed of) after I called 911 to report the accident, I went around the accident scene thinking, "Good night, I'm going to be late for work after all (I'm always late, but like I said, this morn I was doing great with time)." SHAME. 2 secs later my sense of humanity kicked in and I couldn't shake the feeling that I should have stayed and acted as a witness for the police report.

This really hit home when I remembered that while in school, when a girl hit me in almost the exact same kind of situation a man at the gas station across the street gave his information as a witness for me. Even though I didn't need it (insurance people assessed who was at fault by the damage to both cars, etc), it felt good to have someone say that, "No, you're not crazy, that woman was soooo in the wrong!" ::sigh:: I know better, I should have stayed and just called work to tell them why I was going to be really late. Somebody slap my hands! So now that my moral compass is back on track I've called the police station to give my info as a witness to the wreck and the police chief asst. told me that the officer who handled the accident will give me a call if he needs me. Talk about humbling. I pride myself on being a morally deceit person and this morn, my first instinct after seeing everyone was okay was "Better not be late for work". sheesh. Again, I know better, my mom and daddy taught me better, I AM better. I've got a good mind to drive 45min back home take photos of the accident scene, write out my account of the accident, and sit in the police station and wait on the officer who filled out the report, but I've been told by my co-workers that's a bit obsessive...

The accident could have been worse, but I'm pretty sure my actions hit rock bottom. I'll do better people, I promise I'll BE better.

So Happy Tuesday to you, I hope you're being safe, because I failed my witness test this morn so you're pretty much on your own. ;-)