At the Car Wash

I don't wash my car very often.

As in, I haven't washed my car in about 3 years.

When we bought our minivan in 2002 is was a really nice car.  It had lots of bells and whistles and automatic everything and such.  It has been a very comfy and reliable car for the last ten years.  Forgive my pride, but for many years as I drove around town I was confident that I had a nice set of wheels.

Nowadays, when I taxi my people around the valley I am ever more conscious that my van is getting older.  The automatic doors have long since become manual.  The automatic door locks make a horrid grinding noise.  The passenger side sliding door won't open from the inside.  The DVD player has had the same movie stuck in it (Veggie Tales: Jonah) for the last two years.  Maintenance and breakdowns are more frequent.  However, I purposefully only think happy, grateful thoughts towards my van.  I don't want my van to get hurt feelings and seek revenge on me someday by not starting when I need it most.

Anyway, for several years I didn't really think it necessary to have a sparkly, shiny, clean car because I had nothing to prove.  It just was a nice car.  Kind of like how a very wealthy person can get away with wearing junky "vintage" clothing and messy looking hairstyles.  They don't have to prove anything with nice clothes and perfectly coiffed hair.  They just are. 

It took me a while to see that I couldn't rely on the merit of my car anymore.  It was getting older and run down and and perhaps I needed to start doing something to enhance it's value.  I couldn't discern between the dirt and the rust.  I needed to make more of an effort to keep the inside cleaned up, and heaven forbid, it was time to visit the CAR WASH! 

Last week I took Cannon and George with me and paid a visit to the Sparkle Express Car Wash.  I splurged and bought the fancy pants car wash that involved some actual human elbow grease.  I like to think that one of the reasons I haven't washed my car very often over the years is that all of my children from the age of 12 months to about 4 are terrified of the automatic car wash.  I realize I could wash my car at home with a bucket and a sponge, but that seems like an awful lot of work and extra  laundry when I consider that everyone would want to be involved and everyone would get soaked.  And as I write that I realize I am probably depriving my family of a good Mormon Ad family time moment, but, oh well.

But I digress.  Back to the children being terrified.  They have been genuinely frightened, as Cannon and George were this time around.  But it's not just them.  I try to cheer and smile and say, "Oh my!  Isn't this exciting?  Look!  The car is taking a shower!!", but secretly I do not enjoy the experience.  Mostly because I'm convinced I am going to miss the little grooves that you are supposed to drive your wheels into and then somehow I'll totally mess up all the gears of the car wash and it will stop working right when my car is in the middle of it and the giant brushes will just keep washing and slapping the car  and the kids will be screaming and I'll have to get out of the car and...

You can see I have issues.

Anyway, my car cleaned up real purty.  It isn't as old and beat up as I thought it was.  All that automatic stuff on the inside still doesn't work but I think I gave my van the equivalent of a face lift.  It looks at least 3 years younger!