Thank you, Henry Day Ford!
What an awesome day to receive a mulligan from Henry Day Ford! 
Here’s how it all unfolded:
Arriving a few minutes late to an early morning meeting at a local auto dealership, I parked next door (at a competing auto dealer’s lot – Henry Day Ford) where I had seen others from my group park in the past. Please keep in mind that I had never done this before.
After the meeting I approached my car and noticed one of the sales reps from Henry Day Ford moving a car directly behind mine. He exited the vehicle and walked away. Another colleague’s car and a light pole blocked my forward escape route and I saw right away that a new Ford was also parked directly behind his car. I immediately deduced that this tactic was deliberate and probably deserved.
A few minutes later he walked back out to another part of the lot. I hurried toward him and told him that his message had been received and apologized for my inconsiderate actions.
To which he replied not in soft tones, “We have asked you guys over and over not to park here and we’re sick of it! Every Tuesday morning we get this! The boss is about to start towing cars! This is our staging area and we need to get our work done.”
At this point I smiled and said (now this is the part that will make my wife really, really happy), “You are so right. I screwed up and you have every right to be upset. Please note that this is the first time I have ever parked here and know that it will never happen again.”
Then I repeated, “I totally see how this impacts your work and I am very, very sorry.”
His shoulders relaxed and he almost smiled. “I appreciate the way you’ve handled this. I’ll get someone to move the car immediately.”
The moral of this story is that we all need to be good neighbors. He probably doesn’t even realize that he gave me a mulligan. As I drove away, I rolled the window down and thanked him one more time. He smiled and waved. I should have gotten his name. He could have towed my Jeep. He didn’t. He could have put a boot on it. He didn’t.
In a universe that rewards kindness and virtue, something good will come of this for him and his organization. The very least I can do is to give some recognition to Henry Day Ford and ask my colleagues to respect their space going forward.
