424,424 and still counting

Two and a half years ago I stopped on the side of the road to take a photo of the odometer in my trusty 1989 Mazda MX6 Turbo. I’d been keeping my eye on it and was hoping I wouldn’t be in a situation where I couldn’t pull over to record the ticking over of 400,000 km.

Heading to the auto electrician the other day for a minor running repair something compelled me to glance it again, and sure enough another milestone ticked over. For 21 years this little red engine has been humming along, which for a modern car is getting a bit long in the tooth, but after 424,424 km she’s still doing the right thing, getting me from A to B with minimal maintenance.

Purchased in 2000, and the 8^th in a long line of Mazdas lovingly owned over the last forty years, she defies the odds, maintaining her looks and performance despite the passing of the years and the many revolutions of her engine and wheels. In the same way we talk about “dog years,” I wonder how old that would make her in human terms.

I don’t neglect her. She gets the bare essentials, regular oil changes and maintenance of all fluid levels, new tyres when needed, a spit and polish about three times a year, and despite the fact she doesn’t get the treatment she really deserves at this time in her life, she still serves me well.

For many of us, as the years pass and we also start to get a bit long in the tooth, we begin to see the signs of ageing, and the effects of only maintaining ourselves with the bare minimum. The physical side is the most obvious. I once rarely set foot inside a chemist, now I have my regular prescriptions which help keep my insides humming along, and I’m reminded of the importance of a healthy diet and exercise as the body starts to let me down in one way or another.

Emotional maintenance is not quite so obvious, but neglect this one by isolating yourself and denying yourself the interpersonal connections and creative outlets which bring affirmation and fulfillment, it’s not long before you start to shrivel up on the inside.

And what of spiritual maintenance, the one part of our nature most often neglected. We motor along on our own resources much of the time, but when situations right out of left field, or things beyond our control hit us full on, we can be found floundering if our spirits are starved of nourishment. For me, my relationship with God keeps me grounded, knowing that as huge as the Universe is, the creator of it cares about me personally. External circumstances can bring emotional stress, but being anchored spiritually gives you the means to control how you respond in those moments.

So, despite the fact Julia Gillard might prefer I surrendered my little Mazda in exchange for $2000 towards something more modern, I think we’ll be growing old gracefully together for quite some time yet. We’re both getting on, but with the right amount of love and care, there’s still a few miles left in both of us.