When It's Time to Do Something About “It"

Anyone who knows me, knows that I never hit snooze when my alarm goes off and I never oversleep.

Except that once. When my mother was in town.

In a rushed panic, I asked Mom to take my oldest out to the bus stop so I could hit my early morning deadlines. She complied and went outside to warm up my car.

My car. Ten years old - as old as my youngest son. A hooptee as the kids would call it, a jalopy if you're older.

While I may still get a few good years out of it, it is well past its prime. But just about any Honda owner will convince you that 120,000+ miles on the car only means there are easily 100,000 miles left to go.

My mother returned from her trip to the bus stop. "You need a new car," she quipped.

I laughed. "Why? Because you have to use the key to unlock it? Or because it makes a hideous vibrating noise whenever you accelerate or turn corners?"

"It doesn't have heated seats," she said.

To be sure, all the money I have put into my car over the last three years to fix the air conditioning, the radiator, the tires, the fan belt and whatever else I have shelled out in repairs would never cover the main problem at hand.

No heated seats.

The heated seats dilemma has become quite the joke among family members, but like many things I have experienced in my adult life, it actually begs the questions, “When is the right time?” or “Why haven’t I done something about this yet?”

So why haven’t I done something about my car?

I could give you any number of reasons:

  • An added expense seems daunting
  • The thought of spending a day or two at car dealerships, possibly with kids in tow, has no appeal
  • I have a bond with the car (it did last longer than my marriage after all)
  • It's just a means of getting from point A to B, so as long as it reaches the goal, all is good
  • It’s a big commitment, assuming it’s with me for another 10 years
  • Right now, I’m talking about a car, but didn’t I ask those same questions (and in some cases, have the same responses) when I wanted to get married, have kids, buy a home, look for a new job or even when it was time to say goodbye?

    “When is the right time?” and “Why haven’t I done something about this yet?”


    ... may be two of the most difficult questions to answer honestly, especially as a single working Mom whose every big decision lies in the balance. These are the questions that often require looking deeply into your soul and, in some cases, make you look for answers that you can’t possibly know.

    Realize, though, that the time is probably never right -- or maybe it’s always right.

    But there will always come a point when it’s just time to do something about it – whatever “it” is.

    In this case, I’ll be sure to get the heated seats.