At some point in our lives a lot of us have the joyous moment of getting our first car. This can be both exciting and completely overwhelming at the same time. As most of you know, you have the option of leasing a car or financing it. If you’re tight on money, as I am, leasing is usually the best option unless you’re willing to buy an older car. Another good part of leasing is that after your lease is up (usually three years) you get to trade it in and start a new lease with a new car (if you choose). You can certainly buy the car if you decide you love the car, for me I preferred getting a new one.
What I wasn’t aware of when I was preparing to trade in my car was the odd sense of sadness that hit me the night before. For most of the time I had my first car I was ready to get a new one. I liked it but didn’t love it, so I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Then all of a sudden I realized all the stupid little things about the car that gave it life. It was my first car, my first big purchase that I could call mine, and it was full of years of memories.
It is funny how objects can bring back so many memories that you have tucked away in the back of your mind. Most of which had come back into my current thoughts as I pulled into my driveway for the last time. I laughed at myself for how much of a dork I felt like. I was sad, over my car. The same car I hated on and off again for the three years I had it.
Finally, the day came. I went to the lot and in a few short hours left with a brand new car that I once thought would never be possible to have. The last three years seemed to have flown by yet the car had so many fond memories. It is a strange feeling to know that everything we touch leaves some kind of print on us; whether that be something small like a necklace or watch, or big like a house or a car. As silly as it seems, I think this whole process has taught me a lesson other than taking care of something and paying the bills for it. We spend so much time living our lives to create memories that we often forget the little memories hidden in the things we use every day. If we wanted, we could take a trip down memory lane with every object we own, no matter how big or how small.
