It's just a scratch

I was at one of those crazy intersections where the light changes too quickly for everyone to clear the intersection. I got clear, but this kid in a red pickup truck made a dash, trying to make it across before the red - well, he overestimated his speed. I saw him coming and I knew exactly what was going to happen.

Yep. Right into me. We pulled over which gave the looky loos some fodder. Luckily, all my van got was a small scratch and some rubber bumper residue. The kid was shook up. All politeness and not a little bit scared. So I said, "Hey. We were lucky. You were lucky. You know what to do from now on." And that was that. It felt good not to be one of those folks looking for a reason to sue somebody. It felt good to give a kid a break - especially since I think it will take some time for him to get over the shock. Hopefully it will be a wakeup call and someday, maybe he'll Pay It Forward and give someone else a break.

In a situation like the one I just experienced, if we all put a bumper scratch into perspective, maybe society could get a little bit nicer. And maybe insurance can get a little bit cheaper...one can hope.