Shoutout to my neighbor for calling me out on the parking spot thing

I live in a complex in Austin with 12 assigned spots, and for 6 months I'd been parking one space over from mine because it was slightly closer to my door. Last week the guy who actually owns that spot left a note on my windshield saying 'hey, not your spot.' Felt like a jerk at first, but it made me realize I was just being lazy and taking something small from someone else every day. Has anyone else had a minor habit like that get called out and it actually made you stop and think?

2 comments

2 Comments

schmidt.grace8d ago

Right, that note must have stung a bit at first but it's actually a solid wake-up call. It's crazy how these tiny little selfish moves (like parking a few feet closer or taking the last bag of chips someone was about to grab) can become a normal part of your day without you even noticing. The bigger thing for me is how much mental energy we waste justifying these small things to ourselves. Like you start making up reasons why it's fine, when really it's just a bad habit you've gotten comfortable with. Good on that guy for saying something, and good on you for actually listening instead of getting defensive about it.

the_jake8d ago

The note stung but it forced me to look at a version of myself I didn't love. Those little justifications we build up in our heads are wild. Mine was all 'it's just one spot over' and 'nobody will notice.' But that guy noticed every single day. That's the part that really got me.