I have been driving the same vehicle for nearly 15 years.  The path to this mode of transportation, my chariot of fun, took me thru the ownership of seven other cars.  Though each had its quirks and appeals, none quite lived up to the current garage dweller. This is my dream car.  Crazy. 

The vehicle is loud, a bit bumpy, has a manual transmission aka stick shift, crank windows, a radio with a dial and fabric seats that show every dribble of water along with whatever other liquid escapes from the cup holder.  Yes, she does have a cup holder!  Despite the list of potential negatives, I wouldn’t trade it for any shiny-new-off-the-lot vehicle.  Seriously. 

When I go into the garage, it makes me smile.  When I open the driver’s door, and step in to go anywhere, it makes me smile.  When I’m jouncing down the highway, blasting the tunes, it makes me smile.  How does an inanimate object spark emotion?  Weird. 

For me, this was a bucket-list item, a desire-of-my-heart.  I yearned to have this vehicle long before I could drive.  It is the epitome of fun while being versatile: hardtop, soft top; doors, door-less; 4-wheel drive, 2-wheel drive.  I can conquer pavement, dirt, mud or rock.  It is the beautiful mash-up of a life-size Lego car meets Tonka truck. Fun.

There is a community of drivers just like me on the road, smiling.  They are experiencing the same vehicle happiness. How do I know this?  They wave or give me the peace sign in passing.  It is a community of joyful people rolling down the highways.  I have heard it’s a “Jeep thing”.  Wouldn’t it be nice if it became a people thing? Cool.

Joy is a state of mind.  It is a choice. We can choose optimism over pessimism. We are faced with daily opportunities to opt one way or the other.  It can become a way of life if we practice it daily. Even in the most trying days, we can focus on the up side.  We can choose light over dark, smiles instead of scowls, calm versus anxiety, acknowledgement over silence; a wave instead of passing unnoticed.  It’s a human thing. Really.

There was a bumper sticker I once saw on a Jeep:

It made me smile.  How about if we see someone in a wrong space, we ‘flip’ them over with a wave, a smile, a kind word, or a gentle nudge of encouragement.  It doesn’t take a tow truck, just a choice and a compassionate gesture. Win-win.