Now that I’m dead, I want to tell you a few things. Well actually only one thing, though there is lots more to say but this is something that others are unlikely to say because it sounds trite, trivial, even banal. But here it is. Take good care of your car. Yes, that is right. Your car, that wonderful motorized horse that allows you to go where you need to go, when you want to.

I’m not talking about detailing or turtle waxing, though you can get into that if you like. What I’m referring too is the basics, going to the garage when something doesn’t seem right , getting to the gas station on time andavoiding my own undoing, getting into a routine of checking oil and water regularly.
I didn’t. Even with my two college degrees I was one of those dizzy chicks who avoided self service gas stations and didn’t know a dip stick from the big dipper. Then one fateful day during a routine filler up, a gas station attendant told me that my radiator was leaking and my engine was sizzling. He gallantly offered to fix it himself, but I declined braving a drive across town to a reputable garage.

It was a broiling summer day and I flicked on the A/C. Somewhere , I knew that this was not a good idea but it was hot and for a while everything was fine. Then I started to smell a hint of steam and then the battery icon flashed on the dash. My heart started pounding in panic. My car was dying in the middle of a busy road. Right away I put on my emergency lights and playing the damsel in distress role to the hilt, got outand flagged down another motorist who told me to start driving and chug on until the gas station which I did. When I pulled in, I felt like Moses reaching the promised land, The mechanic told me that I should have called a towing company the moment I sensed trouble and that my foolish bravado, driving across town with a disabled radiator may have cost me my motor. Still, I was alive, in one piece and my car had reached helped. Yet I learned a lesson to pass on. Respect your car. Check your oil and water, Pay attention to strange noises and when trouble brews, call the towing guys.