Do things for joy
My husband recently made a midlife crisis purchase – a 1969 Oldsmobile 442.
I asked him why he wanted this car… “It’s a good looking car”, he said.
I am thinking, “you just bought 50 year old car…”
I pushed him further – “tell me how it makes you feel”. He did not enjoy this prodding, but I was convinced there was a lesson in here somewhere…
“When I was growing up, a lot of people had muscle cars” he said.
I am thinking – It makes him feel young again?
I do notice that complete strangers wave at him whenever he drives it – they are connecting with him; a mutual, unspoken understanding about some special feeling that is hard to put into words, and doesn’t seem to need words either. There is a passion they share.
He said “it’s like going back in time and physically being in the past – a sense of time travel – like walking into an old building…”
Ok, I thought. it’s more than a car. It’s a story. It is keeping good times alive.
But what past is he connecting to, I thought? He was was 9 years old when this car came out…
“Why is thinking about the past desirable?”, I asked. “I guess it’s because I felt so much better physically when I was younger”, he chuckles.
Me too…
It seems to represent a period in time that was special; a simpler time – he feels like he can own it, relive it.
Ah, nostalgia…
He starts the car and loves the way it sounds. “Nothing sounds like that today” he says.
Ok – it’s unique and has a sense of style; a personality – which is why I think he went for a 442 instead of an old Mustang – GM vs Ford, flowing vs boxy – this is starting to make sense – my husband is definitely a “go with the flow” sort of guy…
Now he’s telling me I am reading too much into this…
Anyway, the car stands out. It’s not ordinary. It’s special. It’s unique.
Isn’t that what we all want – to be connected to something that is unique, special. To not be part of the mass production. To stand out.
Now we are in the car and he is driving it. I look over at him and he is completely relaxed: windows down, left elbow on the door and right wrist perched on the wheel at 12 o’clock. His head is slightly tilted back and he is smiling. Total bliss…
This brings him joy. It is totally worth it!