There are moments in our lives that should not go unnoticed.  Sometimes they are cherished moments with our children, our friends, our community.  Then there are those times that need to be pointed out, heralded perhaps, for the  irony of it all.  Here I share with you one of those moments:

Picture a sunny and unseasonably warm morning.  Some of us head to our jobs, our schools, out to the errands of the day.  A few women of a certain age dally in the park with their dogs.  There are rules about these things.  Off leash hours are strict.  But the day begs to be savored for a few extra moments, and no one is watching the time.  Through the gate drives the Brookline Animal Control vehicle.  Clearly this being an emergency, it continues down the emergency access road into the middle of the park.  There are warnings shouted to the women, already scattering as they leash their wayward beasts.  The moment has been shattered, the law will again be obeyed.  And the park?  It was empty when they arrived, and it is again empty now that they are gone.

At one time or another, each of us finds ourselves in the position of being a scofflaw; of intentionally failing to abide by the rules.  We tell ourselves some rule or law is petty, unjust, unnecessary, ill conceived.  It can be argued that those of us who use this kind of rationalizing are simply looking for ways to justify our bad behavior; that the rule of law is required so that we can live in a peaceful and ordered society.

I, on the other hand, truly enjoyed my few minutes of civil disobedience.

Name Withheld…but feel free to comment.