Gratitude Project #4 - My Car

Yup, Lamborghini. That's my car, NOT!!!!!!!

I drive a little Corolla. Yes, it's nothing fancy. It doesn't look cool. It's not sexy. There is no fancy stereo inside the car (it only has a CD player). It doesn't have a sun-roof, doesn't have a butt warmer. It got a few dents in the body from irresponsible people who hit my car in my company parking lot few years ago and never left any notes. And now that I have installed a rear-facing car seat, my passenger seat does not have enough legroom so it's basically unusable.

But, here is the thing. I didn't have a car in the first 5 years after I moved to the States. I had to rely on my friends or the school shuttle system. This is my first car that I got myself after taking the bus to work for 6 months and I got it debt-free. To this day, I still remember the smile I had on my face when I drove my Corolla out of this little Toyota dealership in Alexandria VA, bouncing in my driver seat, tasting real freedom for the first time.

I have been driving my Corolla for 6 years now. She has become a very good friend of mine, and we share moments that belong to no one but us. She knows about all those times when I was sad but didn't want anyone to see me cry, when I would just go inside my car and quietly shed some tears there. She has seen the crazy wild side of me and she has seen the way I danced to the Zumba songs on radio when I was stuck in traffic. She caught all those moments when I felt insecure about myself as I looked into the mirror, trying to fix a few stray hair and my melting eyeliner or mascara. She knew how anxious I was during the last two months of my pregnancy when I had to go to the doctor three times a week, with a hospital bag all packed up in the backseat of my car.

I am just so grateful to have my car, a reliable mean of transportation and an old friend who always waits patiently in the parking lot, ready to take us to where life calls us to be.

Originally published on Bubblews:
http://www.bubblews.com/news/658331-gratitude-project-4-my-car

(Image Credit: morguefile)