The Coug’
Anybody else got a car they just can’t get rid of? An absolute POS that maybe’s a classic in your mind… maybe it holds memories that you don’t want to forget… maybe it’s the first car you ever owned… maybe you went on your first date with the future love of your life in this car… or maybe it’s as simple as “ya know, that seat is my seat”. Like an aged piece of furniture that has conformed to your bum over time and frankly, it becomes irreplaceable. And you spend money, time and effort to polish this turd why? Because it’s just a part of you… it probably shouldn’t be… it’s and inanimate object… the Taoist part of me says, “Car? There is no car.” But still I fall culprit to that simple materialistic flaw for my 1997 Mercury Cougar. It’s a beast… it’s a great ride… it’s as comfortable as my 12 year old sofa and sucks gas like a 4 wheel drive 1981 Chevy Suburban. But I can’t part with it. I have a 2 car garage and all summer long I play musical chairs with our vehicles… moving it in and out of the starting blocks… adding endless amounts of coolant (a leak I refuse to repair) while grinding off and repainting the rust spots every summer. I pulled that baby out of storage today and within the first 3 minutes behind the wheel I was in an all to familiar place of ecstasy. I now it’s childish… I know it’s not part of the what’s really important in life… but it makes me happy. It reminds of times past… and as Jud is known to sing “Yeah, we’ve had good times… yeah, we’ve had better times.”