Attached Memories

Goodbye, RAV4.

My husband says I'm more sentimental than he is.  Isn't that usually true of women?

My RAV4 is off to the auction next week and so I had to clean everything out of it.  My goodness, would it never end?  I had stuff all over the place, but since it was orderly and neat, it just never seemed to add up to much until it was time to move it  There was a map, some change, my GPS system, two pairs of sunglasses, my parking pass from Akron, two umbrellas, three snow scrapers, four rosaries and a prayer book, a lion blanket, five towels, a pill box that had fallen under the seat a day before the car was towed, some peppermint candies, the garage opener, a six-pack of Honey-Nut Cheerios, and a box of Kleenex.

I just wasn't ready to say goodbye.  We picked up the RAV two days before Ella was born so I associated the car always with her, and then with Lauren and Drew.  Drew learned his ABCs in the car while we went over the RPD2L together.  We traced the TOYOTA letters.  He put on the hazards while we waited for the bus.  He climbed all over the inside of that car.

Lauren loved to pop into the back when we arrived in the cul-de-sac on the way home from her school and started down "the hill that never ends."  She sometimes curled up in that back area when I'd open it for some reason, or maybe she'd retrieve an umbrella for some outside play.

Why the towels?  Those were my famous "wash the car" towels which came in handy when I decided to get out the buckets and the hose.  And possibly for emergencies, which thanks to God, never happened. 

Why the cheerios?  The last time I went to my sister's, my nephew had put a bunch of samples in the car.  He owns a vending business.  The honey nuts were supposed to be for Drew and then the car was towed and they stayed.

For me that car meant safety and I went outside my comfort zone SO MANY times in it. 

It was nimble and such fun to drive.  It handled so that you felt in control.  The seats were comfortable for me.  The size was just right. 

Ten years ago my husband and I both replaced vehicles at the same time, and we're doing it again.  It wasn't meant to happen this way, but it did happen so I'm going to get on with it.  Enough being so whiny!!  I apologize for that.

But don't laugh at me if I tell you that I shed a few tears when I saw the RAV4 sitting in the lot and knew that it would be the last time.  And as I sat in the front seat to get all of the stuff out of the console, all I wanted to do was turn the key and take off in it once again.  Yes, I'm sentimental.  But it's okay -- it's going to be okay.

It's time for some new memories.