I don't want my grades to suffer, and I'm already not doing well in one class, so I'm torn and pulled in different directions.
Then, there is the insurance issue. Because I got a speeding ticket, and I'm a young driver, my car insurance rates went way up. I pay for my own insurance, because my parents paid for my car, and now, the payments are so high, I have to work more hours, and it's really been hard on me. Like I mentioned, my grades have suffered, but more than that, I know that my insurance will not go down next year, or the year after, because I'm considered a risk. I don't even want to think about what would happen if I got another ticket, I probably wouldn't be able to afford the insurance, or I'd have to go with one of those "shady" companies that offer insurance to "anyone," but usually at outrageous rates. So, I'm worried about getting another ticket, but I'm also worried about continuing to pay my car insurance and still managing to get good grades in school.
Because of this, I may have to work more hours and cut back on classes, which means I won't graduate in four years, I may have to string it out to five. I really had a goal of graduating in four years, because I don't want to be one of those college students who never seems to get enough credits to graduate, or takes years and years to do it. I'm anxious to get started on my career, and I really don't want to prolong college any more than I have...
But with work, and working more hours, I see that something may have to give, and the place I cut back is in classes, so I can do better at the classes I do have, and still leave time for work. I'm perplexed, but I know that I'll graduate, sooner or later, at least.
Finally, the ticket has strained the relationship with my parents. They were disappointed in me, and I feel I let them down, somehow. They trust me to be responsible, and I always have tried to earn that trust. I made a stupid mistake, but I really never thought a speeding ticket would be such a big deal. It is, and the affects it has had on my life have made me think about other situations that do not seem important, but when they occur, they turn out to have major affects that you never thought about.
Ultimately, if I could do it over again, I would go back to that night and make sure I didn't get a speeding ticket. I did not see it at the time, but the ramifications of that one ticket have made major effects in my life, and I wish that I could go back and try again. I know that's not possible, but I have learned my lesson. There is more than just a fine involved with a speeding ticket, and the effects it has had on my life are much harder to deal with than I would have thought. So, the lesson is, don't get speeding tickets, and don't think that situations that happen to you will have little overall effect on your life!
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