I was driving down the highway when a police car switched lanes and got behind me. I wasn’t speeding, and hadn’t broken any rules, so I didn’t panic. Something about driving in front of a police car me makes me nervous. It’s like I’m in school again, and I can feel the eyes of the teacher watching me.

I didn’t break the law. I reminded myself that I was an outstanding citizen who was following the law and I hadn’t done anything wrong.

And that’s when the sirens went off.

Loudly and brightly.

Are you kidding me?

I pulled over onto the median, and got out my drivers license and registration. Mama wasn’t born yesterday. I knew the drill.

The police officer came over to my window, and I gave him a very pleasant smile. I questioned what I had done, and he nicely explained that my registration had expired.

Over a year ago.

Wow. I couldn’t argue with that. Even I was speechless, which hardly ever happens.

How was that possible?

It’s simple. It had been what I hope will go down as the worst year in my life. A breast cancer diagnosis and treatment had fallen from the sky, and it had taken all I had to keep it together. We let everything else slide. What else had fallen through the cracks? Only time would tell.

The police officer nicely told me what I needed to do, and didn’t give me a ticket. It seems, if I rectified the situation, I would be ok. How had I gotten away with it for this long?

I’ll never know.

But Jon wasn’t pleased. The thought of having an overdue library book makes him nervous.

He insisted I take care of it ASAP, which I did, two weeks later. Now I’m driving around with a car that’s completely legal. I do feel less like a criminal and more like the outstanding citizen my parents raised me to be.

I think this experience has made me recognize that when a police car get’s behind me, the best thing for me to do is switch lanes, and get the hell out of there. Fast.

Finding meaning each day,

Dara