I’m Bob, a 40-year-old construction foreman. We’ve been working on a house halfway up a hill with no road access, so everything—lumber, tools, materials—has to be carried up by hand. Our only lifeline is two clearly marked “No Parking” spots at the base of the hill for deliveries.One morning, I got word that our lumber truck was minutes away. But when I got to the bottom, a mom in a white SUV was idling in one of the spots, waiting for her kid from the nearby school.

I politely asked her to move. She rolled her eyes and said, “Take a chill pill, dude. I’ll just be a few minutes.” When the truck pulled up, I asked again. She replied, “Can’t you just unload around me?”So we did. I had the driver pull in as close to her as possible. Between the truck, a porta-potty, and another car, she was completely boxed in. Twenty minutes later, her kid showed up, and she had to awkwardly climb out the passenger side. Furious, she demanded we move the truck. But for safety reasons, we couldn’t.

Then karma struck. In a panic, she reversed into the porta-potty, then tried to drive over the curb and got stuck. A parking officer, who had just arrived, witnessed it all. Turns out, she was driving with a suspended license—and got arrested on the spot.That night, my crew and I cracked open cold drinks and laughed it off. Sometimes, all you have to do is smile and let karma do the heavy lifting.