most mornings my car and i have a little chat.
if it's really cold out i talk to it nicely, then congratulate it with a pat on the dashboard when it starts.
if it has been recently washed i remind my car how well i treat it, in hopes that it will reciprocate.
when my driveway is icy, i coax my car along, talking to it sweetly while lightly feathering the gas pedal and clutch.
so far i've never gotten stuck.

but sometimes these discussions are more serious...
like one evening when the dash lights stopped working altogether.
("no officer, i'm sorry, i really don't know how fast i was going.")
i tried to talk it into reviving itself, and when that didn't work a couple good smacks to the dashboard would get things back into working order.
until one day when the light stayed permanently dark.
that's when i started to wonder what my car has against me.
(helpfully, the clock and odometer remain independently illuminated, so at least i can know how far i've gone and how long it has taken)

most recently my car has taken to trapping me inside.
as in, the driver's door won't open from inside the car.
so far this only happens occasionally, so it's always a surprise.
will i be able to get out of my car this time, or will i have to crawl over the center console and emerge, rumpled, from the passenger's side?
if i can't get out i sit there for moment, raise my eyebrows and simply ask, "really, car? really?!"

maybe there's a life lesson here.
maybe my car is really a vehicle driving a heightened appreciation for life.
it makes me stop, reflect a bit, and appreciate the simple things that i normally take for granted.
like being able to get out of my car the easy way.