I pulled into the McDonald’s drive-through tonight because I felt I earned a prize for a great week of work, and for getting a bunch of chores done I’ve been building up to for a while. Of course, as I pull up to order, a police car also pulls up immediately behind me.

23 year old me would have been scared about getting a ticket for something I felt I didn’t deserve.

33 year old me paid for his dinner.

He thanked me via the employee at the second window, I thanked him for his public service. It wasn’t until I got home and was shoveling salty, delicious fake-potatoes furiously into my old, weathered gullet, that I realized the difference 10 years will make.

Also, no ticket. Booyah.