Panic wells up inside me when I recall driving through the car wash at 17. Memories of a too-tight corner and a man yelling, “Turn harder!” replay in my mind, and my body tenses.
So when it was time for a new car, and the only color they had available in my model of choice was dark blue, I was concerned.
I knew it would look dirty all the time.
And I knew how I felt about the car wash.
Car acquired, I tried to embrace dusty-chic. I tried praying for rain. I even tried washing it myself with my four-year-old son. (Let’s just say he doesn’t have the attention to detail this job requires.)
But today, it wasn’t just dirty. It was covered in dead bugs from a road trip. (Gosh how I tried to will them away from my car … no, little bug!) The bug smooshes made me sad — a nonstop reminder that I was driving a midge-massacre-machine. Anyhoo…
It had to be done. I mustered all my courage, found the nearest car wash on my phone, and purchased a wash. It was paid for … now I had no choice. I drove there.
A nice human was waiting and checked me in. I told him I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to get my wheels in the right place. He smiled and said, “You’ve got this! And there’s somebody there who will guide you.” Up ahead, another smiley human gently directed me into the apparatus. I did it! I got to sit back, put my car in neutral and enjoy my clean-making achievement.
On the other side, there were free vacuums and microfiber cloths. So I watched what the other people were doing and figured that out, too!
My car is actually a beautiful, sparkly midnight blue when it’s clean. I think she felt refreshed from all the muck. And you know what? I did, too.
The point?
Nice humans make everything better — from car washes to web copy. Whether you’re hand-washing, or using the latest technology, let’s enhance your shine together.
