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The Clouded Post-Pandemic Mind
After doing the same dreary things for over a year, it’s difficult to dream or even decide what to do next.
I bought a car today. An almost-new deep-sea blue BMW 330i. It’s the first car I’ve bought since 2010 — some 11 years, 5 jobs, 4 partners, and 2 tax brackets ago — and it’s beautiful. It’s one of those cars that always belonged to other people. It’s not just the nicest car I’ve ever owned, it’s the nicest car I’ve ever driven.
Why did I buy it? Well, because Frank Sonata met his demise. After 170,000 miles, it was about to cost more to crank the silver fox into shape than he’d be worth at trade-in. ($200, as-is.) So, it was time.
But why this specific car? Well, because I could. The car I bought cost just shy of $1,000 more than the Sonata did 11 years ago. A steal, a coup! But mostly — I just wanted that exact blue 3-series. I said it would be my next car some five years ago and I never wavered. Man has a goal; man achieves the goal. Cool, although not very interesting.
My car swap is the latest in a long line of sweeping life changes I’ve made since the pandemic began. First I stopped drinking because I grew bored. As my mind cleared up, I decided I didn’t want to smoke anymore, either. As my lungs cleared, I started running. I now run…
