Blog-off #13: What's 'in a car'?

The first time I saw a Smart Car I thought the door would open and six to ten large clowns would pile out. What a great idea, make a very small vehicle that will run forever on a tank of gas, plus they're kinda funny too!

So what's 'in a car' anyway? Today I gave up my 2008 red convertible Sebring. Ohhhhh how I loved that car! So why did I give it up? Well, the lease was done and the buyout was ridiculous (at least by my standards). When I first got the convertible it replaced a 10 year old Neon I had purchased new in 1998. It was a bare bones, standard transmission with around 90,000kms on it. Did I love it? Well I didn't really think so until the young man (a Neon fanatic who was simply thrilled at purchasing it) drove it out of the driveway. I stood there watching it dissapear out of sight and thought "there she goes, my pal and partner in crime for 10 years a part of who I think I am".

Of course, I had a brand new shiny red convertible waiting in the wings for me so the sadness passed pretty quickly. But, this new car was what I like to call 'fancy pants'. Could I really drive it around and feel comfortable about it? I wasn't what I would consider a 'fancy pants' sort of gal.

Apparently I could! 

First I figured out all the buttons - that took a while. Top up, top down, windows up and down, left mirror, right mirror, seats up down and all around. Then I took it to the gas station for a fill and the gas attendant asked me to pop the tank, I had to ask "and just how do you do that?". We put our heads together and figured it out. Whew, feature overload! At this point, I became officially 'initiated' into my new environment on wheels and after the first real drive on a sunny day, tunes blaring, hair blowing in the breeze, wearing movie star sunglasses I thought "yeah baby, this is the shizzle!".

Over the past 27 months what really sealed the deal on this love story were the adventures I had in it. Driving out to the beach with the girls, road trips (the most recent 'Thelma & Louise' style), taking the kids out in it and generally just sharing the experience. Man I'm gonna miss her! Unlike the Smart Car, on any given day the convertible door might open and four giggling girls with really crazy hair would pile out! Funny, that description sounds a lot like the clowns....ha!

So, here's what I've learned: 

1. 
   
   What I drive has no bearing on my identity - I am who I am, fancy pants or not no matter what wheels are transporting me from A to B.
2. 
   
   It's not really the convertible I'm going to miss, it's the experiences it gave me and the joy it brought to others that is difficult to let go.
3. 
   
   It's good to know that things come and go but memories last a lifetime!

Coming soon...blog posting on the Thelma & Louise trip!

That's my take on Songbird's picture, would love to hear your comments and thoughts.

Don't forget to visit thInQ for Songbird's response to the picture I sent her - you'll like it!