on getting a new car
We got a new car. A Subaru Ascent to be precise. It's amazing.
So lucky to be able to buy a new car. I don’t take that for granted. I feel grateful that we were in a position to do it the right way, for the right reasons.
We chose this car for our future. For our growing family (just a dog for now). But also for our eventual first child, who will take their first ride home from the hospital in this car. I'm so excited for the drives to school or through National Parks. I can't wait to open the moon roof and stare at the stars. Or make breakfast on a blacktop in the trunk.
Having a car places you in one of the biggest social contracts we have as human beings. Billions of people, every single day, doing what's in our own best self interest but also thinking about everyone else on the road (for the most part). That's pretty cool.
My relationship with cars has changed a lot over these last few months. I realized that I didn't take great care of my last car. Not in a completely reckless way, but in a way you treat something when you don't understand what it represents or how it reflects upon you. I didn’t see it as an extension of me but now I think it definitely is. As I went through this recent car buying process and thought about all that this car will mean to not only me but to us, it became clear how wrong I was. Now this four wheeled thing is be a reflection of me and my family. It’s one of our most used shared spaces and it's our responsibility to take care of it. If the car is hectic and messy it's likely that's how we will be perceived by others. Even worse, if that hectic mess has even a 1% chance of influencing how I behave on the road, it's one of the biggest errors I could ever make. I want it to be clean. I want it to smell good. I want it to feel like a safe, calming, happy space. And I pray that everyone who ever steps into it feels safe, feels loved, and arrives safely.