Monday Moanin'
By David Smith
January 1, 2007
Greetings from behind the wheel,
It's like buying a used car.
I've bought a few used cars in my time. I know just enough about cars to at least appear like I know what I'm looking for. You walk around the car, looking for dings and dents, missing trim. You check the rocker panels for rust, maybe crouch down and look at the frame, see if there is any damage there. Look at the tire treads for wear, lean on a corner and bounce the car to see how the shocks respond.
You pop the hood, poke around under there at the mass of wires and tubes and belts. Wiggle a few cables and pull a few clamps, look for things leaking or oozing where things shouldn't be leaky or oozy. You sit in the driver's seat, twist the steering wheel, feel the upholstery, and adjust things to see if they are comfortable. Peer at the odometer. Turn the key in the ignition, rev it a little, listen. Drive it around, turn up the radio, run the windows up and down. It might needs some work. At some point you decide if you think you can live with it. Maybe even think about what you could do to spruce it up, make it better.
I've been sitting here at the edge of 2007 thinking about what the new year might bring, knowing what I'm really thinking about is what I will bring to 2007. I've been thinking about this life of mine I'm bringing into 2007.
I've been looking at this used car that is my life. I've walked around it for the last couple of hours, looking hard. I've been going over it, looking at the broken parts, the things that don't quite work right. There are a lot of miles on this life already. Not as much horsepower as some others. I'm not sure there's always enough room for everyone in it. Looks like it hasn't always been maintained like it could have been.
The scary part about buying a used car is you don't know its history, how its been treated. The scary part about looking at our used life is that we do know its history, how its been treated.
The question floats into my mind; if you were out to choose a used life, would this be the one? Is this the life you want to get into, drive down the road? You think you can do something with this?
There are other models out there, lots to compare. Some faster, shinier, some with better navigation systems and more impressive interiors. There are some that pass me on a regular basis. Easy to start to second-guessing.
I do like the way this life feels. The seat is broken in just right, I can reach the dials and buttons without looking. It is reliable and solid, I haven't really had too much trouble with it. But even so, I wonder if I could do a little better.
Twenty years ago had a 1967 Buick Skylark. It was in incredible condition, with very few miles on it. But the engine started running really rough, and in my ignorance, I assumed the worst. In desperation I sold it for $900 to a guy I know, wanting just to be free of the problem. Later he told me the only thing wrong under the hood was the spark plug wires had been crossed. Five minutes and he had it running like the day it came out of the showroom. Funny how a little thing like that makes such a difference.
I don't know all of the work that needs to be done on my life, I'm learning every day. There are times when it feels like I should trade it on something else, anything else. But what if I just change these wires around....?
No matter what life we're in, no matter what condition it's in, we're probably going to be driving it for a while. It's up to us to figure out how to maintain it, how to make it better, and how to keep from crashing it too hard into others. Today is a pretty good time to get out the manual, and see what might be needed.
After looking around, sizing up all that's available, I think I know what life I want. This one looks pretty good. I'll take it.
Hope this finds you kicking the tires,
David
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