Steel Dreamz Part 2 has been edited and will be published soon, but tonight we take a mini detour from the show coverage due to what day it is.
Obviously cars are a large and important part of our lives around here, and today – September 23rd, 2021 – is a special date for one of the cars in particular: the little yellow Focus sedan that we all know as Mustard. Ten years ago today – September 23rd, 2011 – was the day I brought it home.
Above are a number of photos in chronological order from each year dating back to 2011. The very first photo was taken on September 22nd 2011 (the day I officially bought it, handing over the money and signing all of the paperwork) and the second on the 23rd. From there, you can see the car gradually progress year after year until it more or less hit a point at which I was happy to leave it (for now…) in 2019.
I’ve referred to it as this on the site before but I’ll state it again here: buying this car was the best decision I’ve ever made, for everything it led to. You may be thinking “it’s just a car” and well yes, it is, but I’m looking beyond the pieces that make it up when I say that. Thinking back over the last decade of my life now, I can trace so many amazing friendships, opportunities, bucket list items crossed off, and even my job, back to the purchase of it that fall. Signing that dotted line would impact my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined back then.
And while I wasn’t able to take Mustard out prior to sundown I did still want to grab a few photos today, on the actual anniversary. Ten years ago I was nearly beside myself with excitement because I was taking home my first-ever brand new car. Today, I’m immensely grateful for my younger self making that purchase because of everything that this car has led to and was responsible for since then. I know for a fact my life would be very different had I not bought Mustard; I really can’t stress enough the unbelievable number of friendships, opportunities, achievements, and more, that all have a common point of origin in this car’s purchase.
It’s simply another part of these machines that non-car people don’t understand; they really can impact your life and leave lasting effects, and when you first make the purchase you never know what adventures lay ahead…
Happy 10th, Mustard.
-Bill