I’ve got lots of problems and struggles. Typically materialism doesn’t make that list. I normally care so very little about things. I love tech and gadgets, but that’s more about fun and interest than it is about possession and pride of ownership. Last night I failed in this area.

I picked out a new car (minivan) yesterday. I was getting a great deal because of a connection with the owner of a car dealership. The van we wanted had three extra or special features: power doors, leather seats, and a DVD player. Nice stuff. When I got to the dealership, we looked at their current inventory. They didn’t have a van that matched what I was looking for, they had two that were missing the three things, and they had one that had more.

MAN! Did it have more! Not just one sun roof, but four. It had a super deluxe GPS. It had fender things, mud flaps, extra rails on top, a tow hitch spot, a running board, and fog lights. It was also a little over 5K more than the van that had what I wanted. I hate the sun, and mock everyone who doesn’t. When I get to heaven, I’m going to ask God why he made it so bright and evil. My phone has GPS on it, and if it didn’t, I’m sure the one at price club is good enough (and cheaper). If mud gets on the car, I couldn’t possibly care less. I’m not going to strap anything to the top, and if I do, I don’t need another rail. I haven’t had the need to tow something for at least ten years. The van is about 6 inches off the ground, it doesn’t need a running board to make it easier to get into. I don’t even know what fog lights do. If it had smog lights, those would be helpful.

I WAS TOTALLY SUCKED IN. I was ready to pull the trigger. I needed to talk to someone. I knew it couldn’t be the Mish. Unless she’s shopping at target, Misha is more cheap than a  Scott-Irishman living in the depression. So I called Misha’s mom. After listening to my options, she talked some sense into me: there was no reason to spend money on crap I didn’t need or want! It was a total failure moment.

The next day, I picked up the car that was equipped to my “needs,” and while it’s very cool and exciting, I’m still reeling from the embarrassment of wanting more and most.

Driving on 12seconds.tv