Dear Car,

I know this is quite a change from hearing me belt out Ariana Grande to you on my way home from work. This is even more heart-felt, I promise. I want to say thank you for all we've been through together. You have a lot of miles on you, buddy, and you've never let me down.

Remember that time I scraped your tires on the curb? Or when we hit a deer together? Correction: that deer hit us. Remember when I was always broke so I washed you by hand instead of taking you to the car wash? Or when you overheated and we had to pull over so I could cry and call dad?

Thanks for being so comfy, for putting up with all kinds of weather, especially the day I had to dig you out under three feet of snow. Thanks for holding more friends than you should probably carry. Thanks for taking me to and from college, for keeping me safe, and for never judging me when I forget to use a turn signal. You're a trooper.

I still remember when I first got you. I was sixteen and so happy. I drove you the wrong way down a one-way street and decorated you with tacky bumper stickers. I hope you've been as happy with me as I've been with you. Thanks for dealing with my trash that sometimes takes a while for me to clear out. Thank you for being patient between oil changes and for staying strong despite never being put in the garage.

Sometimes people say you're all old person's car, but I love that about you because it means you have character. You're one-of-a-kind to me and without you I wouldn't have had the freedom to get out of the house or escape from campus on long days. You've been a great car and I appreciate you more than I could have appreciated anything brand-new. You'll always be the car I got my license in and the car I drove on my first dates. I know I yell at you when you slowly slink up steep hills, but just know it's out of love. To many more miles, my friend.

Love,

The Girl In the Driver's Seat