1978-1979 in my life

Quick note of synchronicity: I had just finished doing the picture of the corvette and placed it on the page. I fed the cat and sat down to write my intended article and what came on the radio but Prince's "Little Red Corvette". It's true. Just shocked me by the coincidence of it. Or is it a coincidence?

The Year was 1978 and I saw a red Corvette on the street. I was 17 years old. And I fell in love with it. It was simply beautiful. I really and truly am not a materialistic person. I live the benedictine and simple life of a writer. But the 1979 Corvette has special meaning to me. It was almost a rite of passage (failed so far) for me. I was starting to spurt and grow into the first stages of manhood.

Anyway, I got my first job that summer between Junior year and Senior Year of High School. It was at a local amusement park. I saved my money for a few weeks then walked down to the local Chevrolet dealer and applied for a loan to buy a 79 corvette. I think they laughed at me but told me it might be possible if my parents co-signed with me. I knew that wasn't going to happen.

It was a scant few weeks later, and another synchronicity, that I was thumbing through a magazine. I think it might have been "Boys Life". There was a big advertisement to win a 1979 Corvette. All you had to do was send in an envelope your name, address, and telephone number on a 3"x5" card.

Well, here was my chance. For the rest of the summer I spent exactly half of each paycheck on stamps, envelopes, and 3" x 5" card. I am talking a lot of em. And every week I would sit down and write out the cards, pop em in the envelope and send em off to the contest. I am talking hundreds and hundreds of them. Literally. I think the stamps were 8 cents each at the time, maybe 10 cents, I can't remember for sure.

Time passed, the contest ended, and I didn't win. Out of options I ended up buying a Moped which I thoroughly enjoyed.

But I often think about that corvette and that contest. I am kind of proud of trying an alternate way to achieve a goal. Yet I still remember the dream of the corvette.

Since then my life has passed through many years and many things like marriage, divorce, children, career, mortgage, loss, military service and a whole host of things that seem to take up our time and our energy.

Yet, that corvette stays with me. It has meaning beyond just being a car. Someday I will get one. Maybe I will think up a creative way to do it. Anything is possible. I learned that lesson a long time ago.

--=------- Addendum ---- I have added this part many years after writing the part above.

Well, things in my life went pretty good and I come to a financial point in my life where I could finally buy a 1979 corvette.

I did my research and searching and found the perfect one for sale only about 20 miles from where I lived! Perfect!

It was at a car dealership.

I went down there. I talked to the salesman and requested a test drive.

He gave me the keys and excitedly I climbed inside.

And to my shock and surprise......

The top of my head pressed against the interior roof, and the steering wheel was in an awkward location between my bent-leg knees.

I am a bit of a big guy at six foot two. And in work boots that puts me over six foot three.

I couldn't believe it... I was not a good fit for the car.

And I realized that maybe the car, and the dream of the car, just wasn't a good fit for me.