I remember reading the book, "The Untethered Soul" on one of my impulsive flights to visit home while living in California. The main idea is to break down every last layer of yourself, your titles, your names, your hobbies, your jobs, your everything, to find the actual essence of who you are. As someone who prefers to live life untethered, the book naturally spoke to me. I read it through every now and again, just as a gentle reminder for when the world tries a little too hard to push me into a labeled box: remain untethered, you are not what they call you. And that's true for everyone. Even your name was chosen by someone else, so really...who are you? Anyway, that's a little too deep for a gratitude blog.
So today, on day eighteen, I am grateful for the frivolous reminder of my wildly untethered nature that still sits in my driveway. While Johntimus Prime needs a lot of work, and is not currently functional, he was my first giant leap into impulsivity, and my first "adult" purchase (though let's be real, a mature adult would have bought a Prius or something). Some of my best memories in life include my car, from night time top down drives with friends, singing at the top of our lungs, to blowing down the highway at two in the morning going far too fast, this car was a lifeline for a long time. When you're given a death sentence of twenty one years or less, you don't much consider saving money or buying responsible cars. You buy the damn convertible.
I'm also grateful for the responsible adult car I currently drive. It fits my practical needs more than the Mustang ever could, and also...she nice. However, there's a part of me that will always prefer the sports car life, like a man in a midlife crisis. So soon, operation restore Johntimus will become a passion project. But in the meantime, my gratitude today stays rooted in the fact that, as I unearthed him from his covered tomb, I was bombarded by a rush of happy memories (one of the four pillars of happiness: recall a happy memory). Johntimus is a part of so many people's happy memories, a fact I am also grateful for. So for now he sits still, a broken reminder of what was. But even though he's older, and worn from time and struggle, the fiery essence that made him....well, amazing, still remains. And that feels somewhat metaphoric.
Recall a happy memory, and remember your fiery essence.
- Dominique
Comments