Goodbye Dear Friend

About a month and a half ago I said goodbye to one of my long time companions: My truck, my rig, the runner, the big blue beast, the roller skate, the juke box on wheels, the 1994 Toyota 4Runner… This vehicle is the stuff that legends are made of and the reason that my children will drive Toyotas. I never actually tested it, but I’m fairly sure I could have peed in the gas tank and the thing would have kept running.

I was awful to the 4runner and it gave me nothing but love. On average I probably changed the oil once every 7500 miles (that might be a tad generous even), I literally wore out the tires to the point where the steel band was showing through the rubber, I kicked it when I was mad, I punched several (small) dents into it after getting into a fight with an ex on two separate occasions (same ex though), I drove over curbs to go off-roading on LU’s campus, I took the bumpy roads just because I could damn it… Through it all she just kept going. It is probably the best practical example of grace I can think of. I was terrible to the thing even though I knew I loved it, and it just kept going and going and going.

For the last decade the 4runner has been my wingman: I picked up countless dates in it, I broke up with girlfriends in it, girlfriends broke up with me in it, it was where I told a girl, “I love you” for the first time… I made memories in it.

The 4runner was probably my most constant companion for the last decade: it helped me move into my first home, it went along with me to pick up The Monster for the first time, it probably should have been an honorary member of my fraternity with all the trips we took in it, it took me on road trips (some on purpose and some not), it made sure my friends and I got home from bars, concerts, parties, and so much more (I never drove drunk however thanks to the handy little Breathalyzer I kept in it)…

I was sad to let her ago, but it was necessary. My new job requires me to drive to destinations unknown all across the US (and maybe Canada on occasion) and the 19 year old car with almost 200,000 miles on it and no AC just was not going to cut it. As happens too often in life we are forced to say goodbye to old parts so we can say hello to new ones.

So… Goodbye to my old 4runner and I would like to introduce you all to the new rig. Ladies and gentleman, here’s “Aloha”…

Peace and Love,

-jw