Today my 2004 Honda Civic officially logged over 100,000 miles. Leading up to this milestone, I was planning to capture the magical moment and share it with my social network. Somehow I totally missed the 100k mark, and just so happened to glance at the dashboard as it was turning to 100,001. Oh well, that’s first world problem right?
As my car hit the 100k milestone, I reflected on the relatively problem-free duration of ownership. While somewhat dated (if you consider ten years to be old) the car has provided the reliability one expects from a Japanese brand. Although it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles I desire, the car meets my basic requirement, safely getting me from point A to point B. I’m certainly looking forward to getting another 100,000 miles out of the car (unless I upgrade to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class I’ve longed for) and I’m definitely going to step up the care I provide to the vehicle.
After thinking about my car’s milestone, I began correlating its journey with my own life journey. Just like the car, throughout my life I’ve lived through many ups and downs, sunshine and rain, good days and bad. There are even times when I’ve neglected maintaining my physical health just like I’ve often skipped maintenance checks for the car. For the most part, I’ve taken good care of the car from an operational perspective, but I’ve also gone long periods without taking time out to keep the car in pristine condition with regular car washes, etc. I’m also guilty of pushing myself so hard at times, that I’ve failed to maintain the physical and mental health needed to ensure longevity in life.
Even though I’ve only lived around 30 years, it feels like I’ve crammed a lifetime of stress and strain into that timeframe. I recognize that I’ve subjected myself to extreme levels of pressure in pursuit of my life’s goals. What I’m now realizing more that ever is the importance of regular maintenance and care needed for a sound mind and body. In order to survive another thirty years, I’ll have to more effectively balance my family responsibilities with career and academic pursuits.
Unlike the car I drive on a daily basis, there is no way to easily replace me, or anyone else for that matter. We’ve only been given one life to live. As the world continues to change and the pressures to do more with less continue to be pushed upon us, it is critical to focus on maintaining sound physical and mental health. While providing the maintenance needed to push my car to the next 100,000 miles, I’m also going to increase the level of attention I give to my own health. Hopefully by the time I upgrade to the luxurious E-Class Benz, my own physical and mental health will be considered premium or top-of-the-line.
I’ve always known that my interests are vast and varied. Sometimes I even amaze myself in terms of the diverse knowledge that I possess, and my ability to focus on many different things. But what I’m now beginning to understand is the importance of being focused on fewer things. Whenever I see something that catches my eye, I tend to jump in with both feed to learn more about it, or get engaged in some way. However, if I continue this trend, it will prove to be problematic in the future.