Lighten the Load
I cleaned out my car a few weeks ago.
If this were a text, now would be a good time to insert emojis.
I would use the kind with the mouth open and hands up to their cheeks. Like, a million of them in a row.
Also, notice that I said I cleaned my car OUT. It still has yet to "be cleaned" (vacuumed, wiped down, etc.). It's a slow process.
Oh, and just FYI, my car's name is Noah. Not because of The Notebook or the Bible, just Noah—because I like it. And because my car has a name, I am that much more attached. And, fortunately for you, you are now more attached to this post. You're welcome. I can only think that I had the desire and motivation to do such a thing like clean him out due to the bad dream I had about him : Poor Noah's transmission died and he was leaking transmission fluid everywhere! In my dream, he was not fixable and it was so sad! Really. So naturally, as we left for work the next morning, I told him he was a good boy—even if he hasn't had air conditioning for a year. I like to think he can hear me.
As I was finding so many random treasures in the crevices of my car, I couldn't help but think that they would make a good, fun, and probably embarrassing blog post.
KEPT :
An unopened Christmas card from last year (oops!)
An unused Starbucks gift card worth $20 (#winning)
A stash of pens and pencils (life with an appointment book)
MadLibs (give me an adverb)
My sash from my bachelorette party (yeah, I'm not sure either…)
Carrie Underwood's Blown Away album (too many good songs to lose that again!)
THROWN AWAY :
Multiple Starbucks straw wrappers (what? I have a LOT of gift cards)
Melted Chapsticks (Melaleuca brand is the best!)
Everything I stuck in my console (it was my temporary trash can)
Grocery store ads and bloated hand sanitizer bottles (grocery stores and sanitizing always go together)
That lone string cheese that fell in between the seats ( and in the words of Jimmy Fallon : "EW!")
REALIZATIONS :
—I have had the same air freshener in my car for 7 years
(Now mind you, I just never bought another one. Back in the day, it smelled like Chai Tea, reminded me of Christmas, and it was my favorite. I may be overly sentimental, but I CAN throw things away—I just haven't thrown it away yet)
—I also have a sweet gift (that also hangs from my rear view mirror) from a sweet friend/mentor/second parent that says "I am looking for a #2". Her name is Justine and she is so fun and crafty! Back in the day (now that I'm 30, I find myself saying that too much), she made each of us college girls a shrinky dink with that phrase on it to remind us that Jesus should always be our first fulfillment and supplier of joy! It was an encouraging sentiment from my single days that is now faded by years of sunlight, but something that is a sweet reminder for my soul and will not be thrown away anytime soon!
—I need to be more organized
So that's that!
I told you this would be somewhat embarrassing.
I feel like there is some quote about how a messy car says something about you. Maybe I feel guilty and maybe I'm making that up? Oh my. I can only imagine what my mechanics thought every time I took my car to be checked. I will have you know I lead a busy life, but I have no excuses for such a crazy mess, haha! I do like being clean and organized, but I just need to be more consistent.
I still need to find what cleaning products work best for the interior of my car, but the good thing is that my car has remained free from trash and clutter since it's purge! Still no air conditioning, but we like to start small and cheap. ;)
Happy car cleaning!