Changing Times

 My commitment to write a post every Saturday for a year, without fail, is coming to a close but I'm having too much fun to stop. I look forward to these mornings, pondering what I should share that others would enjoy reading. So I'll continue for the duration.

Today marks a small milestone in my life. Three years ago, when Steve was still with me, we leased what was easily our tenth car. Once you start leasing, it's hard to switch to a purchase and Steve loved the new car appeal. But I thought, at the time, it might be a good idea to just buy what we'd been leasing and drive it into the sunset. But the young man who was helping us thought differently. "You are both in your 80's. In three years, you may not even want a car. Why don't you lease again and see how you feel in 2026." 

At the time I thought that was a ridiculous notion. Of course I'll always want a car at my disposal. Why wouldn't I? I've had one since I was 21. A car felt like an appendage I needed to function.  We leased a new crosstrek in a bright blue and drove back to Saint John's on the Lake. Steve loved driving up Lake Drive, enjoyed seeing the beautiful homes and towering trees, spring flowers. His favorite lunch was at Dr. Dawg and we drove there often. But he's not here anymore and our car sits in the parking garage most days.

Sometimes, we do things on automatic pilot without considering alternatives or what might be a better approach. I started thinking about my car several months ago so it wasn't an impulsive decision. I discussed it with various family members and to the letter, they all said it was a good idea. Not that I'm a careless driver. But we added up the expense as opposed to Lyft, the care required, the few times I actually needed it and decided this would be a good idea.

So here we are, three years later, and I've returned my lovely Subaru Crosstrek to Sommers Automobile and did not renew a lease with a new car. The young man at the dealership is no longer there, but I wish I could thank him for his advice.