Five years ago, I took the plunge and bought a brand-new Jeep Cherokee.
(On my lunch hour, without telling Brian. But that is a post for another day!)
Until recently, it has been a trouble free five years. The Jeep has blissfully required no maintenance beyond the standard stuff of gas, oil changes, and tires.
However, a few weeks ago, a bad batch of gas changed all of that. Within fifteen minutes of filling the tank, I was chug, chug, chugging towards home.
Even though Brian assured me it was the gas, I sputtered into the dealer to get their take on the situation.
The dealer’s diagnosis? Bad gas. (of course!)
However, they gave me a prescription of sorts.
In order to remove as much of the old gas as possible, it was necessary to wait until the tank was approaching empty, add dry gas, and then fill the tank with premium gas. Unfortunately, the remainder of the old gas would continue to mix with the new and I could expect to experience chugging from time to time as the old gas worked its way out of the tank.
In addition, because of the now high mileage, the spark plugs needed replaced to ensure that the chug, chug, chugging was not due to old and worn spark plugs.
If I didn’t want to continue to bunny hop through the stop lights, the Jeep would now require a little extra TLC.
I love looking for life lessons and this whole process has provided a great one.
Have you ever compared maintaining a vehicle to maintaining a relationship?
There’s a lot to be learned.
Both a new vehicle and a new relationship are pretty easy to maintain in the beginning.
In the beginning, both take very little effort to maintain. At the beginning, it’s easy to delude ourselves into thinking this is the way it will always be.
The vehicle is shiny and new and none of the parts are worn out and causing trouble.
At the start of a new relationship, it’s fun and exciting. There’s no bad history on which to dwell that can cause problems.
Every new vehicle and every new relationship will eventually require more than just the standard maintenance.
After a while, there’s a little wear and tear on both the vehicle and the relationship.
The vehicle may need a tune up and the relationship may require some extra time and attention.
At this point, investing a little extra time and attention can keep both the vehicle and relationship on the road.
Bad gas, like bad life, happens.
I didn’t intentionally fill my tank with bad gas. But it happened and I had to deal with it.
Bad life is the same way. Situations intrude on our happy life and whether we want to or not, they have to be dealt with.
The consequences of bad gas will haunt you for an extended period of time.
It’s no different with a relationship. When hurts occur and bad life intrudes, it will require time and effort to work through the process of getting back to normal.
The consequences may hang around for a very long time.
Patience and determination are required at this point.
Ignoring a problem is simply inviting disaster.
Ignore a problem long enough and a vehicle will signal you with the dreaded check engine light.
While there may not be an actual check engine light on a relationship, if you pay attention, it exists.
If the check engine light comes on, prepare for possible serious and expensive repairs.
This applies to vehicles and relationships alike.
The older the vehicle and the relationship, the more maintenance both will require.
As the miles pile up and the years pile on, wear and tear are inevitable.
However, by being intentional with both, there is a better chance that both will remain on the road and see you through to the end.
Is it realistic to believe that a vehicle can survive until death do you part?
From experience, I can answer yes.
We inherited the Jeep in the photo from my father-in-law. It has 700,060 miles on it. He maintained it until his death at which point it was passed on to my husband.
It may not be much to look out but, oh my, is it fun to take out for a spin.
Think about that.
If you commit to a relationship and make the decision to maintain it to the end, oh what fun, oh what joy, could be yours for the long haul!
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