Red Sports Car

            It was raining the other morning (a miracle around here), and my wife and I decided it was a great time for a walk. As we were going down the street, a red sports car, driven by an elderly gentleman, passed us going quite fast. As he rounded the corner, he spun out and twirled down the road like a stubby little ballerina. After laughing, never once worrying about his health, I started to think what a moron he was. Obviously he bought the sports car to impress someone and didn’t even know how to handle it. Granted, the roads were slick, but I’ve never done that in my worn out Suburban.

            Later, I began to wonder how many people buy fancy, little cars or other expensive toys in an effort to make themselves feel younger. As I get older, I have enough trouble getting down into my Saturn Ion, let alone a corvette. Why would I want to remind myself how old I am every time I need to get into or out of the car?

            Hitting midlife is often an excuse to buy things we really don’t need in an attempt to make us feel fulfilled in life. I don’t know whether it makes us feel like we have something to show for all our hard work, or we’re trying to show that we’re not as old as the mirror says we are. Either way, there are a lot of other things we can do instead of buying fancy, new toys.

            I look back on my children and feel success (most of the time). Not all of them turned out the way I envisioned, but I love each one and am proud of what they turned into. Some are not even done yet, so they may surprise me. I know I surprise my mom all the time with the things I do. They’re not all good surprises, but beggars can’t be choosers.

            I’m also proud of my cars, in a strange sort of way. My Suburban shows that I had a big family and at least most of them survived - actually they all did, despite my driving. My Ion shows that I’m concerned with the environment and want to save the planet (I’m also cheap and don’t like buying gas.) My old pick-up shows that I’m a worker and don’t mind getting dirty. If those don’t let people know that I am successful, I don’t know what will.

            As far as feeling old, I’m losing weight and getting outside more often. Just by changing the way I eat makes me feel younger. I’m also trying to focus more on my relationship with my wife, so I can have that young feeling of being in love again. I don’t need to show anyone how young I am, they’re probably too wrapped up in their own mid-life crisis to pay attention to me anyway.

            We are who we are, and we can only get better by changing what’s inside. A new car that we can’t drive safely on wet roads won’t change a thing about us. If you want to buy a new car, get one with a nice interior because that’s the part of the car you spend the most time looking at. If you want to feel younger, work on what’s inside first.

            Safe driving!