An Ode to Kate
I know next to nothing about cars. Yet, saying goodbye to my beloved Kate, a 2017 Ford Escape Titanium FWD, is incredibly bittersweet.
You can encapsulate what I know about internal combustion engines, car makes, models, and trims, the differences between wheels and tires, and the entire myriad of things that light up car enthusiasts into a thimble. My bestie, Gayle, is much more of a car enthusiast. One of our favorite memories is standing on the desks in her dorm room my freshman year of college with a paper plate on which she'd written car brands (no, I don't remember why it was a paper plate). I had to match the logos of the cars we could see in the parking lot (hence why were standing on the desks) to the brand names. I failed MISERABLY. I'd still fail pretty miserably today.
That said, I bonded with this Kate.
Kate's origin story is where our emotional relationship began. I took delivery of her on April 29, 2017. I had been driving a 2011 Ford Escape, who I also called Kate. That Escape was nearly paid off and I didn't really have any issues with her. However, my dad had suffered a sudden stroke on March 2, 2017. On one of the many trips I made between Indianapolis and Richmond during his recovery, I took the 2011 Escape in for service at the dealership in Richmond. While I was there, the features of the new Escapes caught my eye and I did some emotional buying and this new Kate came into my life.
Kate has been a car of many firsts for me, but first, she is the last of the Kates. I never named cars until I met Gayle. She, along with many of my friends over the years, have told me that you should have a name for your vehicle. My Dodge Neon was the first car I named. He was Charlie, after my alma mater Ball State's Charlie Cardinal. My Pontiac Vibe was Abby, after Abigail Adams. My Pontiac Torrent was Reba, after Reba McEntire. And then both Escapes had the name Kate. Kate is named after a character in a book series by Dee Henderson.
When I introduce the new car in a few days, I'll share her name.
Among the many firsts with this Kate, the one I'm most proud of is paying her off and actually getting her title. It has been a pleasure to drive a car with no debt on her for the last few years. This was particularly true because I paid her off early. She was the first car I financed without a 0% loan. But, at 1.9% interest on that loan, the loan was still a smart use of debt as a tool. This part of my life also represents a time of deep learning about my finances and a real taking charge in my own financial life. Kate was here for all of that.
Nothing, however, tops all I've been through with Kate. This period of my life has been one with a lot of emotionally heavy things - dad's stroke, losing his beloved Golden Retriever Sammy, moving to two different homes, helping Gayle move her mom to assisted living, losing my mom, and supporting Gayle as she lost her mom. And, of course, Kate was with me, although less so, through all of COVID.
Kate has also been with me through my entire cancer treatment journey. The part that's brought up a lot of emotions this week is the sheer number of miles she and I did together during my time at Ivy Tech. I spent so many hours driving all over the state of Indiana for that beloved role. I remember one night very specifically. I had to drive from Kokomo to Columbus after an evening event in Kokomo. There was a terrible snow storm. Kate kept me safe as Michelle Obama talked to me from the audio book I was listening to. The three of us made it safely on that harrowing drive.
Kate was also my safe haven on that dark day when the Ivy Tech chapter of my life was unexpectedly brought to an end. She was where I finally let go and cried.
Despite all the heavy, Kate has also been the source of so many happy memories. From Gayle stealing luggage out of her to whisk me off to the airport to all the airport trips we've done together, I realize that one of the reasons that I've become so much more emotionally attached to Kate than to any other vehicle before her is how much deeper appreciation and gratitude I have for experiences over things. In the end, Kate is a thing - but she has facilitated the transportation needed for so, so many experiences in my life.
Among all the joys Kate has helped me do, bringing my beloved Kona into my life, sits near the top. My sister Susie and my dad came to Indy and Susie drove out to the western part of the state to pick up my little fuzzy nugget. I snuggled him in the back seat on the way home. He was introduced, by phone, to his Aunt G from the backseat of Kate.
Kate has helped me with an important reframe for how I place vehicles in my life going forward. I've always said I hate driving. But, moving forward, driving is a means for facilitating relationships and experiences. And, experiences and relationships are the real value of life. So, while I still may know next to nothing about cars, my view on the car in my life was changed dramatically by this time with Kate.
As I took Kate to the dealership on Friday to turn her in we finished a good audio book together and enjoyed a couple of podcasts. We also got to experience a little pop up storm that slowed all the traffic on the Interstate down to about 30 mph for a few minutes until the weather cleared and sun came back out.
To my beloved Kate - thank you for 9.5 years of experiences together. May you bring many years of joy to a new owner.
Some slightly related comments and another aside. Love the lists of cars you had ( we also had a Vibe which we really liked.). I know you’re not a car person but Motor Trend once described the Torrent as more like a trickle. 😊 Secondly, I was briefly going back and forth from Indy to Cincy after a job transfer. One night I was heading back to Cincy and got caught in a snowstorm. I-74 was blocked somewhere so I ended up on the back roads. This is pre-GPS. I was talking to my wife at home and she was trying to find the safest route and it was delayed enough that I would just pass the road to turn…