Be Careful What You Wish For
The Universe has a wicked sense of humor
It all started when I retired in 2020. I was driving a lot less and felt relieved my eight-year-old Camry might make it for many, many more years to come. I jokingly stated that as long as she made it until I could collect Social Security — I would be happy.
Yesterday, due to an irritating check engine light on my tire pressure sensors, I took her in early for her oil change/maintenance. I sat quietly in the customer lounge deeply involved with my latest Kindle book when the service representative came to me with a concerned look on his face.
As it turned out, my beloved Camry had a major oil leak. The service representative showed me several grim photos of my oil and dirt-encrusted engine. And then provided the shocking news of what the repair would cost.
It took me a bit to process the fact that this was a very grave condition. I texted my daughter who spoke to my son-in-law. The determination was — there are a lot of gaskets on a car. The specific one that was leaking oil in my case was likely just the beginning of more to come. The repairs were nearly half the value of the car’s trade-in value.
With much grief and sorrow, I let go and began the process of buying a different car.
