Car washes were never enough to wash my car-ownership sins away.
It didn’t matter if I opted for the cheapest package or the deluxe version with rainbow foam, at the end of conveyer belt my SUV was the same, fairly clean on the outside but a total mess inside.
I kept a tidy house. I did laundry every day. I shampooed the carpets twice a year. When it came to home maintenance, I was okay. But where my car was concerned, I was a slob.
There was a lot of guilt involved with being the person with the messy car. I knew I should not let anyone eat in the car, but I permitted my kids to munch on French fries in the back seat. Every time I brought something into the car, I knew I should bring it out. But instead, I let piles accumulate on the passenger seat.
The worst part was that I passed on my horrible habits to my children. Instead of helping them ride in peaceful contentment in the backseat, they wallowed in their own clutter.
This fall I decided to do better — for real this time, not a half-hearted promise to clean up my ways. But first, I had to admit that I needed help.
On the Edmonds Moms Facebook Group a bunch of people had been raving about what a great job a local dad named Eddie did with his company, Mobile Detailing. The $99 package spiffed up your car inside and out. I decided to take the plunge.
Before Eddie arrived however, I had to remove multiple bags of junk from of my car. That was when my guilt went into overdrive. When I lifted up the floor mats I found crumbs, gum wrappers and filth. No wonder our car smelled. I had not washed the booster seat cover in two years. What type of mother was I? A bad one!
Eddie spent two hours detailing my car. He cleaned and conditioned the seats, removed as many spots as possible, blew out the vents and crevices with an air compressor, hand washed the exterior and more. The carpet looked brand new and the floor mats were shiny. I thanked Eddie profusely for his hard work.
The first time I drove my clean SUV tears rolled down my cheeks. My car was beautiful on the inside and out. I was struck with the shameful realization that it had taken a professional two hours and a bunch of fancy cleaning machines to undo what my bad decisions had caused. Not only that, but those poor choices had crept into my self-identity for years. If I wasn’t the person with the messy car, then who was I?
Did I deserve to drive a clean car? Did I have the fortitude to maintain one? I was surrounded by a precious second chance. All of my failures had been washed away. Rolling along in the grace of the moment, I vowed to do better.
I want to be worthy of my clean getaway.
Jennifer Bardsley is an Edmonds mom of two, and author of the book “Genesis Girl.” Find her online on Instagram @the_ya_gal, Twitter @jennbardsley or at teachingmybabytoread.com.
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