My new job has me looking at between 500-1,000 traffic tickets per day. First, I check them off a list when they are sent over from the police department. Next, I staple them to a card which will accommodate more information as the ticket goes through various processes. I then sort them for filing in the 'To Be Verified' cabinets. I have done this for three days.
Today I got to experience traffic court. I helped pull citation copies for persons appearing before the judge. There was a seemingly unending line of people holding their yellow citation copies waiting to get an instruction sheet in either English or Spanish and as they approached me and the person I was shadowing, I looked at their ticket and looked for the last name, then I said the name out loud so she could pull the original citation to give to the court attendant.
Names. There were lots of Hispanic names and lots of easy to pronounce common names. Then there were some that were very hard to pronounce and some I slaughtered in my attempts to pronounce. But one stands out in my mind.
This tall guy walks up and hands me his citation copy. I open my mouth in anticipation of saying his name out loud, but pulled myself up short. His name was, and I will spell it...D - U -D-U. Well, I don't know about you, but I would pronounce that Doo-doo. My mind racing, I thought well, maybe it is pronounced Duh-Duh. Either way, the silly teen-ager that still exists in my mind, could not bring herself to say this out loud for fear my voice would crack, or a big huge grin would split my face, or worse; I would burst out laughing. So, I turned to the person I was shadowing and said D - his name starts with D and the citation number is 5-4-3-2-1. After he received his instructions and walked into the court room, I could smile.
I'm sorry, that is just the silly person inside me that won't grow up and won't behave. The same thing happened when the help-line operator who sits in the cubicle with me, was helping some person named 'Ho'. I know this is a very common name in China, and maybe some other countries. But here in the U.S., Ho is not used in a nice way to describe anyone or to call someone. So to hear this sweet little lady behind me ask this person on the phone, 'Well, Ho, what did you do to get ticketed?' Hmmmm. The silly person inside me just wouldn't behave and I had to giggle. (The help operator was enjoying every minute of calling this person 'Ho' too!) I mean, how many times in your life do you get away with calling a complete stranger 'ho'?
Call me immature, it's okay. My body is 47. My mind is 15.
One thing I learned today...have compassion for all people when they are having a bad day.
Over the years I have become increasing angry when I learn a certain group of non-U.S. Citizens have come to our country and break the laws we have in place. I feel that if people come into this country to stay, they need to learn our language, learn and obey our laws, become legal, etc., etc., etc. Well, let me tell you this; When you see a group of people standing in line to face the judge, even if it just for a traffic violation, you see the fear on their faces, no matter what color their skin is, no matter what language they speak, no matter if they are dressed nice or not so nice. They are all afraid or anxious because they don't know what is coming. They know they have done something wrong and don't know what, yet, they are going to have to do to make it right. Most of them know it is going to involve either one, some, or all of these things: Pay a fine, do some community service, take some type of class, lose their license or maybe even go to jail. When you see the fear or worry on their faces, you can't help but feel a little bit sympathetic. It is not for the ticket taker to judge them.
The first thing I noticed is that the person I was shadowing didn't always greet the person as they stepped up. She mostly she just reached out for their ticket. Sometimes she would say hi or good morning. But mostly not. She is trying to get everyone in the courtroom as quickly as possible. She was very polite in giving them the instructions, but rather impersonal. So, I started greeting each person with a smile and 'hi' or 'good morning'. I could feel the difference immediately. They smile back and greeted me in return. The first thing I think these people want to feel is that this person, a ticket taker basically, is NOT judging them. I tried to treat each and every person for what they are; a human being.
I ask God to help me each day to have a good attitude at work, to always remember that Heaven is for all walks of people, all colors, all nationalities, all sizes, all shapes. Not just for people who look and talk like me. I ask God to let people I encounter each day see Christ in me in some small way. Even if it is just in a smile and a greeting. And when I can, to call them by name.
Today I got to experience traffic court. I helped pull citation copies for persons appearing before the judge. There was a seemingly unending line of people holding their yellow citation copies waiting to get an instruction sheet in either English or Spanish and as they approached me and the person I was shadowing, I looked at their ticket and looked for the last name, then I said the name out loud so she could pull the original citation to give to the court attendant.
Names. There were lots of Hispanic names and lots of easy to pronounce common names. Then there were some that were very hard to pronounce and some I slaughtered in my attempts to pronounce. But one stands out in my mind.
This tall guy walks up and hands me his citation copy. I open my mouth in anticipation of saying his name out loud, but pulled myself up short. His name was, and I will spell it...D - U -D-U. Well, I don't know about you, but I would pronounce that Doo-doo. My mind racing, I thought well, maybe it is pronounced Duh-Duh. Either way, the silly teen-ager that still exists in my mind, could not bring herself to say this out loud for fear my voice would crack, or a big huge grin would split my face, or worse; I would burst out laughing. So, I turned to the person I was shadowing and said D - his name starts with D and the citation number is 5-4-3-2-1. After he received his instructions and walked into the court room, I could smile.
I'm sorry, that is just the silly person inside me that won't grow up and won't behave. The same thing happened when the help-line operator who sits in the cubicle with me, was helping some person named 'Ho'. I know this is a very common name in China, and maybe some other countries. But here in the U.S., Ho is not used in a nice way to describe anyone or to call someone. So to hear this sweet little lady behind me ask this person on the phone, 'Well, Ho, what did you do to get ticketed?' Hmmmm. The silly person inside me just wouldn't behave and I had to giggle. (The help operator was enjoying every minute of calling this person 'Ho' too!) I mean, how many times in your life do you get away with calling a complete stranger 'ho'?
Call me immature, it's okay. My body is 47. My mind is 15.
One thing I learned today...have compassion for all people when they are having a bad day.
Over the years I have become increasing angry when I learn a certain group of non-U.S. Citizens have come to our country and break the laws we have in place. I feel that if people come into this country to stay, they need to learn our language, learn and obey our laws, become legal, etc., etc., etc. Well, let me tell you this; When you see a group of people standing in line to face the judge, even if it just for a traffic violation, you see the fear on their faces, no matter what color their skin is, no matter what language they speak, no matter if they are dressed nice or not so nice. They are all afraid or anxious because they don't know what is coming. They know they have done something wrong and don't know what, yet, they are going to have to do to make it right. Most of them know it is going to involve either one, some, or all of these things: Pay a fine, do some community service, take some type of class, lose their license or maybe even go to jail. When you see the fear or worry on their faces, you can't help but feel a little bit sympathetic. It is not for the ticket taker to judge them.
The first thing I noticed is that the person I was shadowing didn't always greet the person as they stepped up. She mostly she just reached out for their ticket. Sometimes she would say hi or good morning. But mostly not. She is trying to get everyone in the courtroom as quickly as possible. She was very polite in giving them the instructions, but rather impersonal. So, I started greeting each person with a smile and 'hi' or 'good morning'. I could feel the difference immediately. They smile back and greeted me in return. The first thing I think these people want to feel is that this person, a ticket taker basically, is NOT judging them. I tried to treat each and every person for what they are; a human being.
I ask God to help me each day to have a good attitude at work, to always remember that Heaven is for all walks of people, all colors, all nationalities, all sizes, all shapes. Not just for people who look and talk like me. I ask God to let people I encounter each day see Christ in me in some small way. Even if it is just in a smile and a greeting. And when I can, to call them by name.
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