I'm gonna miss her...

I don't consider myself a materialistic person. There's no yearning for name brand labels or swanky jewelry. It's not my speed. What I've found most value in are the things that bring me true joy and have a tendency to have serious sentimental value. 

There's the the first surfboard I ever had made for me hanging in our living room. It didn't cost a whole lot, but I wouldn't sell it for anything. I have my old rainbow sandals that need to be retired, but they fit just right and serve their purpose. Then, there's my jeep. Tried and true, she's been with me since 1997. 

I have always found her to be a thing of beauty, pretty dependable and my form of free therapy. No matter what the day had thrown at me, once I started the ignition, all the troubles of the world sort of melted away. 

In my neighborhood for the past few years it has been a bit of an eye sore in the eyes of my neighbors. It creaks, sputters and with age a few rust spots have surfaced. The funny thing is, none of that bothered me. 

Yesterday, the old jeep was towed away destined for a new owner. Handing over the keys to the seventeen year old girl who was beaming with excitement knowing her first car was a jeep. She had the same outlook I did and that made the loss not so bad. 

As the tow truck carted her away I realized how much of my life the jeep had been with me for. From driving along Hatteras Island scoping out the stars, driving on the beach in search of the perfect wave or to sitting in park talking with my sisters to the late hours of the night it held so much meaning. Sometimes it's hard letting go. I am grateful to have had so many memories that run so deep and so far back into the chapters of my life.
So I may be driving my FJ Cruiser every day, but in my heart I'll always be driving a jeep.