Oh...What Might Have Been

 The family and I climbed aboard our minivan this morning and headed to an event called "Hay Days." It's a chance for the people of our community to gather and enjoy each others's company as well as celebrate the wonderful little town we call home.

Plus, there's a car show.

It's not the biggest car show, but it seems to get bigger every year...this year included. There were many classic American cars, corvettes, trucks, what have you. And they had one Volkswagen Beetle, my favorite car. It was a beautiful car. I took pictures of it as I always do. Every time I see a bug these days it reminds me of my earlier years, back when you could buy a bug for $500 and the bug ran and it was (semi...) reliable transportation.

Too bad those days are gone forever.

I have a picture of my first car. It's a 1965 VW Beetle (we lovingly called "Greenie"...), original 1200cc engine, top speed - 50 m.p.h. unless you drove downhill, or behind an 18-wheeler. 

What if I had kept that car instead of basically giving it away...

Oh, what might have been.

I've thought about this several times over the years. Using the advantages of age, I know keeping that car would have been a terrible idea. Just finding a place to park it would have been a nightmare. Plus, I don't know how long it would take me to get it running and if I did, would I dare drive it anywhere far from my home? 

That car, in the condition at the time I got rid of it, in today's dollars would be worth many thousands of dollars...a far cry from the $500 I originally paid in1982. That sounds great, but I would have paid for that appreciation in other ways. No, my logical mind understands not hanging on to that car was the best decision...

Just my heart doesn't share my brain's reasoning.

Oh, what might have been...I only hope someone took car of Greenie. I'd love to see it at a car show one of these days.