"It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them." --Alfred Adler

Hmmm. On the way home from work Wednesday, I stopped at a traffic light for a few minutes. While sitting there, I noticed a lawn service working on the yard of the bank on the corner next to my car. Then suddenly I heard a really loud "thunk!" Rock? Stick? Something had hit my car HARD! At first I didn't see what it was, but then saw the rear window on the back passenger side of my car was shattered. I backed up and got the attention of the boy running the weed-eater and rolled down my window to tell him what had happened. We found his boss on a mower nearby and took a look at the damage. It's not a very big window, but it was shattered completely. The owner of the service was very nice and assured me that he would pay for everything in full, so after exchanging information, I went on my way, agreeing to call him with an estimate from the repair shop.

Well, unfortunately that little window is worth a lot more than either of us could have imagined. And once the price was quoted, the hard part began---getting him to pay for the damages. We've gone back and forth for a week now and finally I have decided to use my comprehensive insurance to get it taken care of. Part of me was angry because of "the principle of the thing"--here I am claiming it on my insurance and he gets away with owing absolutely nothing. But, after some thought, I concluded that it really was just an accident and if the situations were reversed, I would certainly be thankful if someone did this for me. In the long run, my rates won't be affected at all (so my agent tells me) so I get my window fixed and do a good deed for someone. I guess that's actually the "principle" that I should be living by anyway.