My vehicular love affair continues

There are few things that can bring a smile to my face on a Monday morning. Coffee usually eases the frown slightly; sunshine makes my shoulders drop a little; finding a $5 bill in my pocket unexpectedly will cause a slight up-turn at the corners of my mouth; but only a MINI will put a true grin on my face and instantly lift my Monday mood to gleeful.

Today was just such a rare Monday. I picked up a 2011 MINI Cooper Clubman. As the snow fell around me and Monday loomed in all its gloominess, I was grinning from ear to ear.

I find it amazing that an inanimate object can lift my spirits in such an amazing way. While some people revel in their bagel with cream cheese first thing in the morning, I get a shiver of anticipation as I shift into 3rd gear on the highway and hear the MINI engine give it all its got in early-morning traffic.

And yet, it never gets old. I keep my loyal Facebook followers abreast of which car I’m driving each week. So, this morning I dutifully posted that I was, blissfully, picking up a Cooper Clubman. And a close friend asked me (jokingly, I hope) why I wasn’t sick of driving the MINI yet.

Sick of driving the MINI? Really?

Um, no. Need I remind you, oh faithful reader, of the connection I feel with this car? It’s rather uncanny and something I’ve never felt with any other vehicle I’ve driven (sadly, not even the Lamborghini Gallardo).

And this is why I’ve come to the conclusion that we all have a “car connection.” There is a car that’s meant for us — just like there’s a partner that’s meant for us. Sometimes it’ll take a few tries to get it right, but eventually you find the car (spouse) that’s right for you. And for those who never find a car — well, you’re doomed to ride bicycles for the rest of your lives and own 25 cats.

While that’s not such a happy, pleasant thought; the reminder that I have a silver, black-capped MINI Cooper Clubman patiently waiting for me outside is, and will surely keep a smile on my face all week long.

Drive on,
– M.

~ by drivingmsmiranda on January 10, 2011.