The Old Car

Imagine you drive an old car (for some of us, this is a reality). It's the only car you've ever driven or ever owned. In fact, it was your parents' car! It's really the only car you've ever really known.
You've taken good care of the car, for the most part. You've maintained it well. Regular oil changes, kept the tires rotated, everything kept in perfect running order. But at one point, you'd become a bit too comfortable with the car. You decided to spend a little less time on maintenance and decided to put in a new sound system. You found a nice, brand-spanketty new sound system, some great speakers, the whole works. The car is still running good and now you can sit comfortably behind the wheel, listening to your favorite tunes while cruising down the road.

Further on in the car's lifetime, you let things slide a bit. You're not taking as much care of the car as you probably should. Some other folks have shown an interest and you get to thinking that maybe it might be time. Maybe they can fix it up. Then something bad happens. A car crashes into a car in your neighborhood. While it didn't really effect you personally, it shook you up. You thought to yourself, "WOW! That could've been MY car!". At this point, you decide yours is the ultimate car! In your opinion, it's the greatest car on earth and you want to drive it forever!

You start pouring money into fixing up the old car. New tires, flashy new rims, a new paint job, new chrome, a spoiler, tinted windows...the whole works! But the car is getting old. The undercarriage is rusting out. The frame will probably need to be welded in a few spots. The transmission feels like it could be slipping a bit. The valves are noisy as hell. It's leaking oil, brake fluid, steering fluid and Lord knows what else. The people who had shown interest in it only a few years ago, now don't seem too interested.

But you love this car. It's the only car you've ever known...but now it's acting up. It's making all sorts of awful noises. It sputters. It doesn't always start when you want it to. You're afraid to have it inspected because you know deep down inside that it won't pass. You worry that it may cost a lot of money to get it back in perfect shape. You need your car to get around but you know that it really isn't safe. It's a danger to you and to others on the road. What do you do?

Yes. You could just scrap it and get a new car. That's what most people would do, right? But your car is now a classic! You don't want a new car! You want YOUR car! The car that has always been there for you. The car that has taken you every where in your life. What to do? What to do?

If the car really means something to you, you'll take the time and energy to fix it up. Who says you can't? It's a matter of mechanics, right? Maybe you don't have the money to spend on having a professional fix it up...but you're smart. You're handy. YOU CAN DO THIS! Right? You can make this car perfect again! It will take some work. You will need some help. You'll ask your friends. You'll look around for the best deals on parts. You'll use the best tools that you can. In time, that old car can be as good as new again! You'll be so proud, you'll want to show it off! You'll keep it washed and waxed and maybe even enter it in a few classic car competitions! Heck, you could probably even win!

So how is taking care of America any different? Just something to think about....

-MM