Driving along in Kirkland, home of the modern yuppie, I’m passed by a new Mercedes. Lovely, silver, shiny, new, bling-bling; a part of me loaded with insecurity twinges while I purr along in my Toyota. Why? How come this is a metric of my self-esteem? Am I being unfair to myself, being upset by this train of thought and it’s influence? Consider, please, how much this viewpoint is drilled into us. Look at how often this imagery gets pushed into our faces, and how long that’s been going on. It shouldn’t surprise me, really, that I sometimes feel this way. Though my conscious values oppose this, the lingering thread of this programming has threads into the depths psyche.
I was surprised how much of this coveting type of thing fell away for me after we had kids. It’s a cliche, of course, but they put so much in perspective. Yay for purring Toyotas!
I was surprised how much of this coveting type of thing fell away for me after we had kids. It’s a cliche, of course, but they put so much in perspective. Yay for purring Toyotas!
Ironically, after my son was born I started to feel this even more boldly. I think it’s compensating for my life prior, where I was seriously considering joining the order of St. Francis. All this reconsideration of values has left me bewildered…for over a decade, but still.
Ironically, after my son was born I started to feel this even more boldly. I think it’s compensating for my life prior, where I was seriously considering joining the order of St. Francis. All this reconsideration of values has left me bewildered…for over a decade, but still.
If it makes you feel better, I can pull my little gray honda up next to yours and you can see its peeling paint and yucky upholstery.
A neighbor of some friends of ours asked if it was mine, because he was worried it was a car someone dumped there.
I comfort myself knowing that it gets way better gas mileage than most cars and that people are coveting 1990s Hondas right now because of the gas guzzlers the industry has been dumping on us for a while now.
If it makes you feel better, I can pull my little gray honda up next to yours and you can see its peeling paint and yucky upholstery.
A neighbor of some friends of ours asked if it was mine, because he was worried it was a car someone dumped there.
I comfort myself knowing that it gets way better gas mileage than most cars and that people are coveting 1990s Hondas right now because of the gas guzzlers the industry has been dumping on us for a while now.
I’m sure all those Hummer owners are now jealous. I thought I even heard Arnold saying “I should’ve bought a Honda”.
I’m sure all those Hummer owners are now jealous. I thought I even heard Arnold saying “I should’ve bought a Honda”.