ByeBye Betty

Betty is no more.
(and this post is long over-due)
She finally decided she’s done traveling with me after our “Last Hoorah Trip” to Pennsylvania over Thanks Giving. Not only did she drop her muffler half-way home (just to make sure every car on the toll-way knew we were coming) but her transmission slowly faded and we inched our way through back-country roads at about 35mph – tacking 2hrs onto our trip.
I can’t say I blame her for calling it quits. She’s been all over the place – dragging me and half my life on so many adventures. And I’ll appreciate her forever for every wonderful memory I’ve been blessed enough to share with her.
I spent the a few days crying while we puttered to work together– knowing there will be no repair job by our neighbor to put her back on the road for a while longer. I rubbed her steering-wheel and screamed over her muffler-less rumble: “I love you, Betty.”
She knows I do. She’s known forever. That’s probably why she’s held on for so long. She got me through the hardest times and only decided to pass once she knew I’d be ok – once she’d witnessed me find happiness again.Thank you, Betty, for every single thing you’ve given me – ever moment of enjoyment inside you – and every patient measure of distance spent ensuring I’d come out of the darkness before you’d gone. You were the best 1st vehicle I could have ever asked for and you left your mark on my friends – my family – and my world. No one other mode of transportation will find the space in my heart you’ve filled. And whatever piece of art I decide to make out of your pieces will hang forever wherever I go.