The other day I was having a conversation with a girlfriend I spent the day with, and she said to me, I do not understand why people in Texas are so rude and just cross the street where ever they want to and do not utilize a cross walk.
I shared with her that when I lived in California, their laws state that all Pedestrians must cross in the cross walk, otherwise they can get a ticket for jay walking and the cost is $250 and up. I told her that when I moved to Texas in September 1997, the Drivers Education Booklet I had to read to obtain a Texas Drivers License, I learned that Pedestrians have the right away in Texas at all times. This was a new concept to me. I told her that I didn't know if the laws were the same, but I presumed they were and that this would explain why it was okay to do this in Texas, even if it logically makes sense to cross the street at an intersection or cross walk.
Sometimes it is hard to understand why laws are not all universal. Why some people do things that we think are wrong, and yet for that area it isn't.
When I moved into my house here in 2007 after purchasing it, we had a long trailer that we had pulled as far into the driveway and garage as we could, but it still hung out into the road about a foot. A police officer stopped when we were unloading and told us we had to move it to the street or move it further into the garage, which we couldn't do because of the boxes we were unloading into that space, as it is a violation to have your vehicle hanging out in the middle of the street. It seem's strange that this would be the law when when you park your car on the street, it sticks out further then your driveway. But I didn't want a parking ticket and so we moved the trailer to the street.
Sometimes what we think is okay, isn't. Sometimes what seems to be reasonable, isn't. Sometimes we have to change the way we do things to abide by the laws that are in that city or state, that maybe were not an issue somewhere else.
It has been a learning experience for me not to get defensive over what I think the laws are or when I assume laws I knew of in other states are the same laws in this state. Learning to just simply ask for clarification so that I can do what I am supposed to do, is the simplest thing to do. It is also a learning experience to understand that lack of knowledge about the laws doesn't keep you from responsibility. This seems to be an oxymoron in many ways, but it is true. You are not able to escape penalty or accountability or responsibility just because of a lack of education or knowledge.
Do you have a story on how you have had to learn new laws or the difference of one law from maybe the state you grew up in to where you live now?
#ADifferentPerspective #AskQuestions #LifeLessons
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