It's Time to Say Goodbye (Forever)

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:02][music] [music] [music] [music] There it sits in the front yard, same as [music] it has for years. covered in dust and leaves. The [music] paint is softened from its original vibrancy. The engine is a [music] bit tired from decades of use. The seats are lightly worn from [music] a dozen summer road trips. And the odometer tells stories you could narrate by heart, but it hasn't been driven in [music] ages.

[00:00:52][music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Maybe it's [music] a classic you always meant to restore. Maybe it's the first new car you ever bought, or the one you drove home from the hospital with a newborn in the back [music] seat. Maybe it's simply the car that carried you through some enormously important years of your life. The reason why you haven't gotten rid of it may have little to do with [music] transportation. The thought of selling it might feel more like a part of yourself dying rather than a simple transaction. [music] We develop an almost irrational loyalty to objects [music] we've owned during significant chapters of our lives. A car often becomes a symbol [music] of youth, a symbol of freedom, or a reminder of people we love, a reminder of the version of ourselves we [music] were when we first opened that door.

[00:02:12][music] >> [music] >> This dark blue 2005 [music] Scion XB was the first new car I ever purchased 21 years and 229,000 mi ago. I kept it for so long because it was just so damn reliable. And its boxy design meant it was incredibly useful. And I just like that [music] it was different.

[00:02:45]In those two plus decades of ownership, this unique little car has taken me and my wife on cross-country [music] road trips. It's carted around family and friends. The back seat has been home to wagging dogs and messy kids. It's slogged through bumper-to-bumper [music] traffic. It's been my chariot to and from work thousands of [music] times.

[00:03:06]It's gotten beaten up. It's gotten restored. and it's been a longtime fixture in my everchanging [music] life.

[00:03:20]To most people, a 21-year-old [music] boxy economy car is nothing special. But when you've owned a car [music] for this long, it gets transformed into a moving story book of remembrances. [music] Even standing still, it provides little reminders of thousands of moments in [music] your life.

[00:03:45]>> [music] >> I [music] used to entertain the strange notion that a car has a memory. Imagine the idea that memories can be contained within a vehicle. Over time, they get absorbed into the metal, the plastics, in the upholstery like a sponge. I think at the time, this idea was my justification to keep a car that I no longer really needed, [music] but had so many great memories with.

[00:04:22]Even though it had a ton of miles, it was nearing [music] the end of its useful life and had already been replaced with a newer car, I still spent a ton of money restoring it, [music] getting it repainted, and fixing it up.

[00:04:35]And you know what? I've barely driven [music] it since. It didn't make any financial sense to restore the car, but I did it anyway. In some ways, maybe I wanted to honor the car for the good times I had with it. And I guess I didn't want to just let it wither and die. In some ways, I thought maybe the memories would die along with it.

[00:04:59][music] People are constantly holding on to objects for sentimental reasons, [music] keeping things just for what they remind you of. If those things don't take up a lot of physical space, it's usually not much of a problem. But when it comes to cars, holding on to an extra vehicle can carry a lot of weight, both figuratively and [music] literally, especially if you don't drive it regularly. Batteries dying, tires needing to be replaced, paint fading, parts weathering, maybe it's street parked and you have to move it every few days. Cars quickly have the potential of becoming a burden. and all of a sudden you may find that cherished car sitting in your yard for years in far worse shape than when you left it.

[00:05:48]If I had a garage space to park this in, it would certainly mean less upkeep. But that wouldn't change the fact that I almost never drive it and I don't have any real need to drive it. I think it's time I finally admit I'm only keeping this car around for sentimental reasons.

[00:06:08]>> [music] >> Much like our human bodies, cars won't last forever. Each day [music] that passes reveals a slightly older, slightly degraded version [music] of its original self. And this impermanence is exactly the reason [music] why we should find enjoyment in what cars bring to our lives while we spend our hours on this planet. But it's also healthy to realize when it's time [music] to finally let go.

[00:07:03]In these vessels that we have grown to love, we share experiences. [music] We feel emotions. We travel to new places. We meet new people. We laugh. We cry. Millions of little moments, memories, [music] and stories.

[00:07:25]A car you no longer need but hold on to for sentimental reasons is much like a photograph you can step into. A friendly reminder of moments in [music] your life. A moving backdrop, a familiar smell, a steering wheel your hands know by touch. But as much as we may associate those moments with the cars [music] we were driving, the memories were never stored inside the car. They were obviously stored [music] inside you. We may feel like partying with a car we treasure means losing [music] a piece of our identity. We may fear that selling it will erase something like the memory itself [music] will disappear with the car when it rolls out of our driveway for the last time. Once we finally come to realize that the car was merely a [music] symbol of those memories and they won't be lost when the car goes away, we can finally let go without remorse or regret. Enjoy the time you had. Enjoy reminiscing about the time in your life that this vehicle [music] represents. And you can now look to the future. Someone new may get to drive that car. [music] And perhaps someday it will be the backdrop of their memories. Another life taking shape, not knowing where the roads will lead them.

[00:08:44][music] [music] My mom recently died after a 2-year battle with endstage pulmonary fibrosis.

[00:08:58][music] Every day was a little bit harder than the one before it, and she fought as hard as she could with more grace than I've ever [music] seen in my life.

[00:09:08]I'm immensely grateful that I was there with her at the end [music] to thank her for being my mom and to thank her for the love and [music] kindness she spread into the world. Being with her on her last day and waking up the [music] next morning with her gone, of course, filled me with immeasurable sadness. But it also gave me [music] the opportunity to renew my perspective on the importance of time spent with friends and family over the importance of things.

[00:09:45]And of [music] course, I've always known that none of my cars are really important. Objects I've had in my life, many things I treasure, none of it [music] is important. What's important is the life we end up living around those things. [music] The people we meet, the friendships we enjoy, the [music] art we create, and the love and kindness we spread.

[00:10:11]To live in [music] this world, you must be able to do three things. To love what is mortal, to hold it [music] against your bones, knowing your own life depends on it. And when [music] the time comes to let it go, to let it go.

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