Fear

Posted by Terry McNichols

I never wanted to start clubbing my car. I thought it was a bit excessive. Then one day I came out and my red Jeep was gone. I immediately called the police and they looked on their log and told me it hadn't actually been stolen. I'd been towed! I parked less than 5 feet from a driveway and that's a tow-able offense if you live in the city!

A few months later, I again couldn't find my Jeep. So I called the police and told them to find out where I'd been towed. Alas, no sign of my Jeep. This time it had indeed been stolen. From right in front of our home! The car was gone for three weeks, finally found in a grocery store parking lot with a new dent on the side, a screwdriver in the starter, someone's jeans, garbage, food stuffs left in the car. The thief wasn't caught and after the insurance company wrote off the car as totalled, they sold it back to me for $400! It's still in use by my daughter and her family, living out its 17th year.

But my point? I began to believe that it was worth the trouble to club my car. The hassles involved in having a car stolen, not to mention the fact that it was trashed, tend to make me more careful, more worried about the possibilities, a little less secure in the world. It's that "fear" thing again, but it's also just the wisdom of experience!
(Photo by bartmaguire, shared via Flickr)