Is it okay to feel sentimental about a car??

Once upon a time, there was a young, childless married couple.  They were fresh out of college and had to figure everything out.  How to be a brand new adult can be confusing and tough.  They decided that the boy needed a car.  He decided to buy a truck.  So he did.

He bought a Ford Ranger.  And they loved it.  The stick shift was fun to drive.  The girl only stalled it every once in a while.

Then the girl got a job, too.  So the couple decided to sell her car that she had driven since high school and invest in long-term car. 

She found a black, 2-door Honda Accord with a sun roof, leather seats, a V-6 engine, and a 6-CD changer.  It was sporty and fun.  Low mileage.  Only 4 years old. 

They bought it.

She drove it a minimum of 450 miles a week the first year driving back and forth to work.  It was a long commute.  The miles piled up quickly.  She didn't care.  Her car was golden.

Then she got a new job, only 5 minutes from home.  The miles didn't add up so quickly.  She didn't care.  That meant that she could keep her car longer.

Then she started to commute to Ball State twice a week for grad school.  She kind of cared.  Gas was expensive.  But it was still fun driving the car over quiet roads.  It was something of a mental break to set the cruise control, jam to some music and open the sun roof, even at night.  The car was spunky.  She loved it.

And then...

Things changed.  Kid #1 came along.  The young, married couple now with one child had a truck and a 2-door car, neither of which are comfortably conducive to a family, though a car-seat was manageable in the Accord, though annoying.  They still loved their truck.  They still loved their car.  Unfortunately, the truck had to go.  She fought for it valiantly: "We can just have three cars.  We'll use it.  We'll be glad that we kept it."  Alas, he talked her out of it.

Now, she also had to give up primary driving of the sweet little car.  She drove the mommy car by default of being the primary kid schlepper.  She survived but secretly missed the car.  A lot.

And then...

Things changed again.  Kid #2 came along.  The still young, married couple now had 2 kids, a mommy car and a 2-door car, which technically can hold 2 car seats, but the safety of the children wasn't the best.  The seats were nothing if not a tight fit.  Too tight. 

After much deliberation (MUCH), the couple resigned themselves to selling the nifty 2-door.  One of the last vestiges of their first year of marriage.

But it happened, and she took it for one last spin.  One last trip around the block.  All the while, she was thinking, "Is it okay to feel sentimental about a car?"  She decided that it is.  It stands for a lot of important things in her life.  She feels a little melancholy today.