Memory Lane, Old Cars, and You...

Growing up, my grandmother owned the biggest, brightest, and oldest car I had ever seen. Seriously, it had to have been built before I was born and when I say bright, I mean bright yellow! You could see us coming from a mile away! I hated that car! I prayed that she would get rid of it before I was old enough to drive, but apparently God has a sense of humor. It was big. It was boxy, and if I was going anywhere, it was that car that was going to take me. I was in two minor accidents with that car. Both times, the other cars looked like they had been hit by a truck…but not Betsey, which was the name my grandmother gave it. Of course my friends called it names like the Big Banana Boat or Hella Yella.

My grandmother was proud of that car. It was a made in the late 60’s or early 70”s and it was a Ford. It seemed like the longer we kept the car, the better it would drive. It held on until the very end. It didn’t have the normal car issues like the engine or transmission…it just died of old age. Oh, there was one thing. It didn’t have heat. So, in the winter, we would drive around with blankets to shield us from the cold. When Betsey finally died, my grandmother went straight to the Ford dealership to purchase another tuff car. Ford’s slogan up until 2008 was Built Ford Tough. Every time I heard it or read it, I would think of Hella Yella…I mean Betsey because that is definitely the toughest car I have ever seen.

There is a point to this short trip down memory lane. I know you are not a car. I know Ford has changed its slogan…but humor me…Humans were built to withstand the toughest of conditions. Just talk to a holocaust survivor, thriving rape victim, or war hero. We cry over not being able to live in the house we want, not being happy with our jobs, and not being with the love of our lives, when we have the human potential to change the things we don’t want.

Today, my message is simple. Toughen up! You possess the ability to change your life. You may not be made of steel like Ford cars, but you are made of intellect, experience, and human strength. Every test, disappointment, and closed door is there to remind you to utilize those abilities. You may have to endure difficulty. You may need to do some things you don’t want to do. It may take you longer than you had hoped. But, it is doable! Stop underestimating yourself. You are tougher than you think!

To Blog Nakeia