Intentional Living

A clean car…

My friend Kathy is a car girl. She meticulously cares for and maintains her car. Even when the kids were young, she made sure that all the oil changes, tune ups, and tire rotations were scheduled and attended to. Even in the depth of winter, it wasn’t unusual to pull up in front of her house and find her cleaning out the evidence of children in her minivan. Me, not so much.
I am decidedly not a car girl. My mother taught me to turn up the radio when I heard a weird noise, and I have taken that lesson to heart. Sometimes, my radio is very loud for a long time. When I took my car in to have an oil change recently, they guy couldn’t believe I was driving with those “awful” rotors. I just turned the radio up. While Kathy was cleaning out her minivan, I was curating a considerable collection of Capri sun empties, yogurt cups, and some green/gray slime in the bottom of the cup holders in my minivan. You know, it’s good to know your lane.
After kids, I thought I would be different. I would get my act together and finally be an oil change, clean car, get the sticker on time girl. I may have waited 7000 miles after the last oil change. Well, that hasn’t worked out so well. Not only, do I have trouble with maintenance and cleanliness, but I also struggle with the administration of the car stuff. I have still never had a speeding ticket, but regularly worry about the police recognizing that my registration/inspection sticker/license might be out of date. Because I’ve really blown these things.
When life gets hectic, I tend to only focus on the most urgent thing. I get into a mind tunnel where I do the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing but rarely look up long enough to survey the scene and see what else I might take care of. I think this survival tactic worked but has left me with a very narrow view. It also left a lot of things undone. When I told Keith I got my new sticker, he was so proud! I usually leave these things until the police notice… or the last. possible. moment.
Until this week! Right now, I have a current inspection sticker, a fresh oil change, and my car is clean. I even used those Armor-all wipes so it smells good and looks shiny. I may even stop and vacuum it this afternoon. And if I get really crazy, I’ll pay for the wax and buff at the drive through car wash. I haven’t yet, but I have the plan. I feel like anything is possible when my car is clean. Maybe someday I’ll be a car girl.
simplethings I hope you are enjoying this exploration of simple things that make life special. This is part of the Write 31 Days challenge. Click here to follow along.