Day 7 - A Picture That Makes You Happy

This photo is not of my car, though it is close enough (a Buick and a ride that a senior citizen would drive) that if you imagine it is black, has a few more nicks, and New Jersey plates you basically have my car. I am not really a big 'car' person, in fact I really only know the basics of how to handle such contraptions, but I love the idea of my car. There is a song by Atmosphere where Slug says, "My car is my own personal universe, she's my drug and it only takes twelve bucks to fill her up." The price of gas has fluctuated since the release of the Lucy Ford LP, but the line still strikes me as appropriate. Since being able to drive I have always found my car as, at times, my only place of refuge. The area where I am completely in control of, just about, everything. The radio doesn't play, I pick the music. The roads don't exist, they fade in the background. I know where I am going, but I can get lost. Hopefully not in any literal sense, though that has happened on more than several occasions because my sense of direction is not one of my shinning qualities. But despite that fault, despite my lack of knowledge, I still love my car

The act of driving itself is not so great, but I think the promise of solitude is what attracts me to the idea of my car, and why I selected this picture. I, sometimes more than most people I think, need time for me (I have written this before, but there is a great irony in this statement, I believe). It's not about control, it's about the sense of security, which is funny considering cars, mine and others, are generally a huge, steel death trap. But this security, this sense of calm, of seclusion, is beautiful. Some people find such peace in nature, climbing mountains, surfing, hiking. While I have had experiences in the water, snow, and woods that are equally as beautiful, none are as readily available as the automobile. Human engineering at its finest!

I rarely drive anywhere aimlessly, the price at the petrol station is too much to allow a college student with minimal income that luxury, but even with a destination in mind I look forward to drives. Whether I am simply heading to campus, heading out of state, or anywhere else I anticipate the ride. The frustrations go away, the traffic is irrelevant, I can envelope myself in music, in thoughts, in self and get lost. I can exist. I would not have thought the picture of the car would be the one I picked to personify happiness, but when I really think it over I do not know if there is a more perfect picture. It encapsulates me, all the faults and the quirks. And you know, I don't think I'd ever be happy with an extension of self, and for me that is mighty damn cool. So Slug, it is also my own personal universe. It's comforting isolation, it's a tad depressing and desolate also, but I live for that tension, it's one of the most attractive qualities of life, of the human condition. Whether it be an old person's car or my mom's old Camry, it is happiness, it is beauty, it is natural.

Thanks for reading.

Tomorrow's Topic: Favorite Movies

Rich