The Best Thing About Our Car

It has been exactly one year ago today that we brought home the behemoth Toyota Sequoia that I now drive around.  Our '98 Honda Accord, the first car we ever bought, had served us well for over fifteen years, but when it comes to cars, water and oil can sometimes mix, and that is not a good thing.  So, after the mandatory stressful hours at the dealership, we bought the Sequoia.  Our 4Runner went to Hubby, who was excited to upgrade from tape deck to CD/AUX player, and I was excited to have him driving a bigger (thus safer, right?) car over the grade to work and back each weekday, and many Saturdays.  (He does, for the record, get to drive the new car he works so many hours to pay for on weekends and vacations.)

Now, don't get me wrong.  I am grateful to have this car.  I feel fortunate to be in a position to be able to make the payments (knock on wood) for five years (ooooh, one year down today!) and pay the increase in insurance and gas costs.  I feel good that my kids are safer than they might be in a smaller car--all of us, in fact.

Just Monday I was rear-ended--barely bumped, really--while waiting at a stoplight.  In my side-view mirror I saw the older gentleman who hit me get out of his small car.  I hit the hazard lights and got out, too, asking, "Any damage?"  He asked if I was OK.  Everything seemed fine--his bumper probably went under mine-- so we went our separate ways, me repeating his license plate number over and over in my head until I could pull into the World Market parking lot and send it to myself in an email, just in case. 

Yep, I'm one of those moms cruising around in a huge SUV, and I have to use the running board as a step up to climb into the driver's seat.  But I can shuttle my kids and several of their friends places and that is the main reason we wanted the bigger car.  I just wish the blind spots weren't so big.  And that I would stop hitting curbs while making turns.

But this post is titled, "The Best Thing About Our Car" for a reason--a reason I haven't even gotten to yet.

It's the sound system.  It's just the standard system for the standard Sequoia, but let me tell you, I sat in the driveway for an hour last week just listening to my tunes.  I love being in that cocoon of pleasant sounds.  I listened to Tyler Lyle's "Werewolf" over and over.  Then a little Snow Patrol and some Crowded House.  It was a rare rainy morning and the coffee I'd picked up on my way into town to run errands was still warm.   The song lyrics were profound and I was completely awash in the music.

It was bliss.