A Year Of Humility (XIV): Perspective And Gratefulness

 The whole things started two weeks ago, when a spot was appearing under my car that was persistently not going away.  I had thought (initially) that the local repair guy was parking in an empty spot that was the cause, but it was there.  I finally bent down and took a taste.

Bitter.  Based on the location (driver's rear tire), brake fluid.  Suddenly the unexpected loss in the brake fluid reservoir made sense.

The Car, as you might remember, is...well aged, a 15 year old Mazda5 with 223,000 miles on it.  The issues had been been slowly piling up over the last year - a small oil leak, the sliding doors requiring a good hip slam to get into place, the batteries on two of the low tire pressure indicators expended (thus, the low pressure gauge is always on), headlamps that are dim with age though refinished once, and the most recent issue of change one of bulbs and having the wiring harness snap off (and then crimping back in place with sleeves).  

But it ran. It was fit for purpose for a fellow who drives maybe 60 miles in a week.  However, that all changed with the new leak.  Hazardous at some point to drive of course and not great for the environment - but more to fact, not really worth investing more money in for a repair that was likely to lead to other repairs.

And so, we moved from "That is something I might think about doing" to "This is something I definitely need to resolve>'

I had been putting some thought into this some months ago, even before the leak manifested itself - after all, mileage is mileage and at some point everything gives out.  And I did not really want to have to go through the problems of re-registering the car here in New Home 3.0.  

There were two things I believed to be true:  I wanted a truck, and I wanted a manual transmission.

I had become rather spoiled by driving my parents' truck during my weekly visits from 2020 to early 2024.  Not just because it was useful (it was).  It was just, frankly fun.

And manual transmissions.  After the failure twice of an automatic transmission in our previous early 2000's Dodge Caravan at precisely 100,000 miles and 200,000 (almost on the nose), I swore I would never buy another automatic transmission again (and I have not, although family members have).  The Mazda 5 was a manual transmission; I intended to drive a manual transmission until they were either illegal or not produced (or I was not driving).

There was, however, one small problem:  manual transmissions are rather rare in the United States now, at least in new vehicles.

Were you to look online for 2025 available manual transmissions in the U.S., you would only find that there are 22 vehicles that have such a thing.  Of those vehicles, there is only one truck - the Toyota Tacoma - which can be built with a manual transmission.  And, if you researched it a bit further, you would find that to get said manual transmission, you would need to pay about $4,000 extra for the privilege.  That, on top of a starting price (pre-tariffs) of $38,000 or so.  So around $42,000 for the base model.

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That, of course, was all in the theoretical state of not needing one.  I had researched other used trucks with manual transmission.  They ran anywhere from 50% to 75% of a new model. 

But then a thing happened:  one of my coworkers had a son that works at a local dealership.  

I happened to search their website last weekend and found there a mid 2010's Kia Soul, 54,000 miles, with a price tag of about $9,000.  It was even a manual transmission.  But certainly not a truck, and certainly not a newer one.  But I made a note to talk to my coworker the next week.

On Tuesday morning, I mentioned in passing to my coworker about the Soul.  She looked at me.  "If you are serious, you need to go - now.  The tariffs are taking effect tomorrow and my son said the prices are going up."

There was a moment - only a moment - where I hesitated.  It was not precisely what I wanted - certainly not a truck.  But it was within our price range (we could pay cash).  And would do the basic things I needed it to do:  drive me from point A to point B.

Which found me, 15 minutes later, hurtling down the road to buy a car.

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In short, two hours later found me in possession of a new to me 2010's Kia Soul with 54,000 miles and a 6 speed manual transmission (out the door price was around $10,800).  A lot of things had to happen to make that happen:

 - My boss was fine with me having to rush out in middle of the day to make a car purchase.

- My co-workers were willing to cover part of my floor shift.

- The car was still there.

- We had the cash to purchase.

- We had no trade-in and an all cash purchase on a used car, which speeds the process immeasurably (including the about upselling you maintenance agreements - much more limited opportunities with a used car).

- And frankly, I had to ask the question of my coworker to alert me that I needed to take actions.

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There are, for me, two lessons here.

The first is simply God's sovereignty.  The fact that all of the conditions occurred perfectly when they needed to is amazing, when I sit and think about it.  I might not have been able to leave work.  My coworkers my not have been able to cover.  The car might have been gone.  We might not have had the cash.

But when the moment came, it was incredibly smooth, flawless, and without effort.  That is nothing I did.

The second - more pointed and relevant to the theme this year - is a self examination of myself.

When I first started this search, I was very much in the mode of new truck/manual transmission. Why? Because, somehow, I deserved it.  For reasons.  Undefined reasons, but reasons.  Sure, I could justify it by being the last vehicle I might buy, but it was also just as much about me and my desires.

Then, last Sunday at church during a sermon on the Lord's Prayer, we almost got to the part about "Give us this day our daily bread".  

Note the idea "daily". Literally, "enough for the day".  And "bread" - the staff of life, basic food to sustain us.  Until tomorrow.

How often have I prayed that prayer and said "daily bread" when I really meant " A week's worth of gourmet eating, please".

Yes, the vehicle I bought is not new.  It is not perfect.  It is not a truck.  But it is clean (really clean inside and the engine is clean too).  It runs.  It does not have a brake line leak or an oil leak.  The headlights work. And it is fiscally responsible.

Good heavens, it even has Bluetooth.

Sometimes - perhaps - being humble is being willing to mean what we say when we say we are fully dependent on God's provision for everything that is needful.  Not want-ful, but needful.  Like bread and a roof over our heads and a job that pays and a vehicle that runs.

And sometimes in that humble acceptance, we get an unexpected bonus - like, for example, finding out how fun a six speed is to drive.