Mourning The Loss Of A Dream, As One Does

/ Ally Bean

Dream big, they say.

Never give up, they tell us.

Winners do whatever it takes, they assure you.

But sometimes, just sometimes, common sense dictates that you have to give up because…

IT AIN’T GOING TO HAPPEN.

Unless there’s an extra $5,000.00 floating around in your life.

Or you’re emotionally unbalanced and prefer to live with something broken instead of fixed, I guess.

But for Zen-Den, a man with a dream, cursed with common sense, grounded in reality, it’s over.

Kaput.

Yes, Zen-Den’s dream of watching his vehicle’s odometer turn over 300,000 miles is not to be.

You see, after 16 years and 254,000 miles, Bullwinkle, Zen-Den’s trusted steed Lexus SUV, is on the critical list…

MOVING, BUT ON BORROWED TIME.

Not expected to make it through the winter due to exhaust system problems.

Living out his final days, hobbling to and from work, as Zen-Den is forced to start looking for his replacement.

Still a beloved part of the family, but not for long.

Screen Shot 2016-01-12 at 9.48.21 AM

27 thoughts on “Mourning The Loss Of A Dream, As One Does”

  1. My sympathies. When I had to put the first car I’d ever owned outright out to pasture (2002 Saturn 4-door; I had to sell it because the cost to fix it was way out of my budget at the time…*sniff* – grabs tissue, wipes tears), I was reluctant to move on, but then I met and fell in love with Big Blue (2002 Chevy Avalanche) and much like Bullwinkle, she’s got 230K+ miles on her and I’m hoping against hope to see that 300K milestone reached before she and I have to part ways. sigh.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I understand what Zen-Den is going through. Although I am on my second PT, I can’t imagine driving anything else. Our cars become part of us. We are just so comfortable driving them. And change is so hard! Best of luck to him! He should visit my brother in law.

    Like

    • Beth, yes, I understand how you feel about your PT… if anything were to happen to my sweet Olivia, I’d be crushed. I am my 2-door coupe Accord. If for no other reason than I can always find her in a parking lot because of her snazzy spoiler.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Much as I like my cars, I like the new gizmos that come with new models. I used to keep my cars for 10 years. I’m not down to 5 years tops. Current car is 2 years old (practically new with 6000 miles on it). I may have to keep this one longer just because of the mileage.

    Like

  5. We had a Lexus for awhile, and adored it. It did get expensive to fix, though. Often the cost to maintain is still less than a new car, at least.

    I hope he adores his new car, whatever that turns out to be.

    Like

    • J, Bullwinkle has been reliable up until now. I don’t know what car Zen-Den will decide on next, but I hope it’s as comfortable as this old Lexus has been. Nice passenger seats, ‘ya know?

      Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, you can never say that we didn’t get our money’s worth out of Bullwinkle! Not looking forward to searching for and paying for a new vehicle, but …

      Like

  7. I also got my Neon in 2000, and though it only has about half of Bullwinkle’s mileage since I don’t drive as much as most people, I’ll drive it until it does and beyond if the fates are willing. All those fancy gadgets in the newer cars don’t entice me the way they do others… when I rent a car for road trips, it takes me up to half an hour just to figure out how everything works. And backup cameras are the devil…. I’ll trust my mirrors to switch lanes, but I refused to even look at the backup camera in my last rental…

    Like

    • evilsquirre13, we’re of the same mind here: drive the car for decades if possible! However no way are we putting $5K into this old of car, so a new one it is. I don’t know if I’ll like the new gadgets, I’m not much for such things. But that’s how cars are now, so I’ll adapt if/when I’m forced to drive it.

      Like

  10. At some point, it is time to let go…..
    We spend so much time choosing a car ( embarrassed to say how long it takes – grass grows faster), pampering it, that normally it rewards us by letting us drive the wheels off it. I detest selecting a new one and the buying process – so I am sending you much supporting energy in an effort to ease your pain.
    Having said that, we have a new one tucked in the garage. And the most commonly said phrase said while driving is “Would you please stop messing with all the gadgets while driving you are scaring me to death”

    Liked by 1 person

    • philmouse, thank you for your support during this difficult time. We both hate buying cars so the dragging of feet has already begun. I have no doubt that we’ll be saying the same phrase as you are right now, once the new vehicle is in our lives. So many new fiddly bits to learn about…

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.