In the Wake of Wednesday: No Plot Bunnies Just #RL

This post is slightly different and contains no plot bunnies. That’s because although I have been wrapped up in writing, there are always real life events going on around us.

I’m not talking world events. No. I’m talking about those crazy things that happen in our personal lives. Sometimes they make us laugh later or the outcome can be completely different.

On Feb 29th (see it’s leap year?) I finally got the news that my car died. I’ve tried to be calm and rational about this. She was very old, but an attachment has grown over the years.

She came into my life in March 2003. That was just weeks before I moved to Florida. In fact, many family members teased me that she was my Florida car.

I didn’t mind. ;) In one sense it could be said that she brought me to this paradise. That first road trip took 30 hours because we had two rental moving trucks and everyone wanted to stay close together during that beautiful journey.

My golden retriever Cody sat in the back seat as though a queen in her carriage. Cody loved our new car just as much as I did. I’m sure we both believed we traveled on the wings of angels.

After we settled into our new home, I went to the tax collector to get my first Florida license plate. That’s when I discovered something very unique about my car. The woman taking care of my purchase arched a brow at the computer monitor, and then asked me if I knew that my car originally came from Florida.

Absolutely not. I didn’t know that the car I bought on an icy cold day in Canton, Ohio came from Florida.

No wonder each mile I drove south felt like we were coming home.

I guess I wanted to post this little story online today as a tribute to the wonderful times she gave me. We traveled the beautiful roads between Florida and Ohio eight times!

I always called her Amethyst Pearl (because that’s the color name from the factory) and even today despite being sick under the hood she still looks pretty.

She has also been my guide as I drove along the gulf boulevard and discovered amazing parks and brand new friends. How many times have we been to the beach? I’ve lost count.

Then the kind mechanic hesitated before speaking. Bless him. He was trying to soften the blow. Actually he has been in our lives for about six years now so he knows Amethyst Pearl inside and out. I guess that’s why he wanted to be gentle.

So now I’m an author without a car for awhile. It feels funky because I always had wheels to get me where ever I needed to be ever since I bought my first car many years ago.

Eventually, there will be a new one, but I wonder if it’ll be the same. Here’s hoping that new adventures are just around the street corner. I am open to what happens next because in my gratitude for everything she brought my way, I understand it’s time to move on.

R.I.P. Amethyst Pearl, you’ll always be a part of my history. Thank you for that. (note: that pic is borrowed from google)