Car Donation

I don't know if I can do it. Have you seen Toy Story 2? The scene where cowgirl doll Jessie sings a song called "When Somebody Loved Me"? If not, I'm about to post the Youtube link. If you can watch this and not shed a tear, then you might as well stop reading this post now, because you won't understand emotional attachment to an inanimate object. Here's the video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px0j1EHF8Y0. Eyes still dry? If yes, you probably don't care how I feel about my car. If no... well then, maybe you'll understand.

Yes, I know cars are made out of metal and plastic. They don't have emotions or feelings. But I've always felt like cars have personalities, and when one comes into my family, I connect with it. This will make my parents laugh, but I am reminded of a time when I was little when they decided to buy a newer, bigger camping trailer (RV), and sell our old one. I was devastated. I cried, threw a fit, and swore I would never sleep in the new one... I would rather sleep in our Suburban than betray our trusty old trailer by abandoning it for a new one. Crazy? Maybe, and of course I got over it and have many great camping memories with the new trailer, but the point is, I felt like I was losing a friend.

And so that is why I am struggling with the idea of losing my VW Cabrio. My mind says that donating it to a charity is a noble thing, that it's the best possible thing to do with a car when the estimate to fix the transmission is 3 times what the car is valued. But my heart says I am sending a friend to death row... that the life will be crushed out of it and its worth will only be its weight in scrap metal... and no one will ever love it again like I have loved it for the last 6 years.

That car has been with me through the most turbulent 6 years of my life. I've cried, laughed, dreamed, sang, loved, prayed... LIVED in it. I'll save the specific memories for the tribute blog, but it has been a constant through so many changes, something that has always been mine, like a part of me. I said earlier that I've always felt like cars had personalities, and maybe I also feel like the Cabrio is the type of personality I'd want to be... cute, fun, vibrant, unique. So maybe it's not in the best mechanical shape anymore... the personality is still there, right? How can I let that go?

I don't know what I'm going to do. You all probably think I'm seriously losing it anyway.