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well, the time finally came to get rid of my truck, it was a hard thing to do. the fact that it was hard to do, upsets me a bit.
you see...i do my best to not be a materialistic person. i really believe money and the possessions it can buy, will never bring you happiness, and those who think it can, have their priorities out of wack. although i'm very thankful for everything i've ever been given or earned, i'd like to think it could all be taken away tomorrow, and i'd still be happy with the love of my family and friends. why then, did i have such a hard time letting go of my truck? mechanically, it was time. for the past year, it would sputter at stop lights, the radio had quit working, and the blinkers on the drivers side no longer worked. any left turn would require me to roll down the window and signal with my arm, which i'm not sure is entirely legal.
however, with all its flaws, i still loved it. getting behind the wheel, i was proud. i had bought it with years of mowing lawns, baby sitting, trimming trees, painting, and cleaning windows. in high school, not only did it brave the mud when my buddies and i went camping, but it also ushered me to my first date. it was the car that drove me away from my childhood home and towards a whole new era in my life, college. there, it earned me many free pizza's and beers from friends who needed items moved. it also did what any college car should, take road trips. long trips, filled with great conversations and ridiculous roadside attractions. following graduation, it slowly became less reliable. with each piece that fell off or stopped working, it's travel radius shrunk, but not before returning me to my high school reunion.
i ran across a quote once that stated,
"anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions."
without a doubt, my truck had more than served it's usefulness; it was time for it to go. i took it for one last country drive and snapped a few final pictures. walking around, focusing it's faded frame in my view finder, i realized, i wasn't going to miss my truck because of what it was, rather, i was going to miss it because of the all the memories it had created for me...and i still have those...
...with that, i say, "goodbye christine, thanks for the memories"
5 comments:
i love this post, eric. it makes me nostalgic. i once rode in this truck when your sister and i were college freshmen. :) ha ha.
great post eric. wow, us guys (and gals)try to apply the raison d'etre, but it's not unusal to apply symbolic representation to our materialstic chariots, or manufactured goods. Don't feel bad... if we did'nt look for balance between having the "goods" and what "having the goods can deliver" (as tools to use, or tools to enjoy, even for pure enjoyment or satisfaction)we would all just have Hummers in our driveways and not give a dang.
blogger needs a 'like' button. i like!
I think there's a big difference between being "materialistic" and loving and taking care of the objects that come into our lives, that support what we do...
we build & collect the material world around us: you could be arbitrary about what you choose to have around you, or you could be careful and caring about the things you select to accompany you throughout your life. as humans, we need buildings & shelters, objects & tools, transportation... if we are not going to be ascetics to whom no material object matters, then our objects should be meaningful to us!
"materialistic" would be discarding the old object when it was still useful, for the newest and most impressive alternative... just the act of buying possessions will never bring you happiness, but sometimes the possessions that have accumulated years of usefulness, adaptation, and memories can give happiness and delight in the act of using them. there's no shame in that: instead, you should be proud that you have a connection with the material world that transcends just the grasping act of possessing an object!
I think a lot about the children's book "Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel" in these situations where an object or a tool is obsolete and old but you still love it...
good luck & I hope your new vehicle eventually becomes as close and dear to you as your old truck is!
This entry really struck a chord with me because we are about to sell Alvin's old truck that used to belong to his dad before we had it. A lot of memories...he took it on it's last fishing trip this weekend. Just thinking about it makes me cry! But we move on......
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