enjoy every car wash

one of my many flaws is that i don't appreciate the things i have.

usually i end up appreciating them after they are gone, or when i no longer have access to them.

it's like the saying goes... "you don't know what you have 'til it's gone."

cases in point:

i didn't really appreciate my parents until i moved away

i never knew how luxurious free laundry services were until i had to pay $2.25 a load

i didn't appreciate michael jackson's music until after he died (long live the king of pop)

i didn't realize how great high school "homework" was until my all-nighters in college

... and more recently, i never appreciated a functional car window until after i survived the worst car wash of my life. 

let's back up.

you know the whole "carefree girl driving a convertible on a curvy road overlooking the beach, with her hair flying in the wind, music blasting, huge sunglasses" kind of idea? the standard imaginary oasis every girl holds dear to her heart? 

... every girl except me.

that sounds more like a nightmare than day dream. i absolutely hate driving with windows down. oh it makes me nuts! i hate everything about it.

i hate my hair getting blown out of place

i hate smelling the unknown smells of the outside

i hate feeling like a bug could fly into my car at any given second

i hate hearing other people's music

i hate feeling vulnerable- like anyone could throw anything into the car (click here)

it's just not my thing. 

the only time i drive with a window down is when i'm at sonic ordering my route 44 dr pepper.

... so naturally, my driver's side window broke. one day i rolled it down, and it did not roll back up. i had to drive from provo to midvale with tears dried to my face as the wind, bugs, and smells attacked me.

my husband is a good man. he took apart my whole door and literally pulled the window back up. this was good for the time being, but still broken. 

a few days later i decided to give my car some loving and headed over to the car wash. 

i thought, maybe my car would be nicer to me if i took better care of her. 

... or maybe she would take revenge on me. 

i was helpless. pathetic. water and soap were spraying out of the small crack above my window. i'm sure people in nearby cities could hear my squealing.  no matter how many times i repeated, "no! no! no no no!", the liquids kept coming. 

i left with soggy leggings and a broken heart. every second of those four or five minutes i sat in the car wash tunnel was just horrible.

the final product: the outside of my window was squeaky clean while the inside was now spotted and smeared.

for the rest of my life, i will enjoy every successful car wash and try to recognize how lucky i am for the little victories in my life.