Honestly…|an honest take on the world of PR and other things by Cindy Ronzoni

Today I was out with some of my friends spending the afternoon at a coffee establishment a block away from the beach. We were having a great, relaxing time taking in the sights and sounds when a local parking enforcement officer asked one of the workers to move his car out of the handicapped spot.

This was a bit startling for the young adult was able-bodied, kind to patrons and even the local dog so it was surprising that he took liberty by parking in the establishment’s only handicapped spot. This burned my chaps.

I do understand that parking is difficult in this particular town, especially by the beach…but this occurrence led me to wonder about the compromises we all make in general. Believe me, I’m not passing judgment here for I take some liberties and comprises too. But I try not to.

Which brings me to this other point. I live in a complex with a community swimming pool as part of our Homeowners Association. It’s a rather small pool and the embedded photo is a bit of a exaggeration…but people are always comprising the rules using the pool. And this makes me mad. For these parents have their kids in tow with them and they are teaching them it’s okay to bend the rules. I mean the signs clearly state that there’s no diving whatsoever. The pool is basically shallow…maybe only five feet of it is that deep. It’s mostly three feet deep. And yet, the kids are jumping in from all sides with the parents ignoring their actions.

I know that this compromise maybe small. But there are others too. We have people using the pool that don’t live in our complex. There is a special key that owners have and most of the time I’m watching parents as they climb over the fence to use the pool! What are they teaching their children. The kids are learning that rules don’t necessarily need to be followed. Then there’s that there is no food allowed inside and on Mondays the place is just riddled with trash. And we don’t have a paid service that cleans up this area. It’s up to us.

This all falls in line with the roommates you’ve had that never did their dishes. Or the people who never pay their parking tickets or think that they can miss paying taxes for a year. How do we get to this state where we think it’s okay to let things slide.

This all leads me to ask myself where do I have gaps in my integrity and who’s watching. It’s a great question to ponder sometime. And if you’re ever in my pool…don’t dive in okay!