"The Poot-mobile"

In 2006 I bought an older PT Cruiser at a really low price from a lady who hadn’t driven it in quite some time. It was in great condition and had such low mileage it seemed like a wonderful deal. Besides it was fully loaded with sun roof, leather seats, and the prettiest teal green exterior ever. I fell in love with my little cruiser at first sight. What I didn’t know before I bought it was that there was a really bad smell in the air conditioner. We did everything we could to get rid of the smell, but to no avail. It was so bad we thought of selling the car just to get rid of the problem. My husband would always blame the smell on me, thus my little car was dubbed the “Poot-mobile”…we have a warped sense of humor. Blaming the smell on me seemed to get us through a few months before we found the culprit.  The “Poot-mobile” had a critter living in the evaporator core. Not sure if it was a squirrel or a rat, but it made a nest and chewed up some really valuable parts. Every time we turned on the air conditioner we would smell the critters waste. I was so glad to finally find out where the bad smell was coming from and of course glad to clear my good name. Unfortunately the name “Poot-mobile” wasn’t as easy to get rid of. Even though I have continued to have trouble with the car since I bought it, I really like my little “Poot-mobile”. Now that we have invested enormous amounts of resources to repair all that was wrong with it, I feel like I have a brand new car. In spite of its high maintenance, I have decided to keep it. I have even grown to appreciate and enjoy it.

Some relationships are like “The Poot-mobile.” When we first meet we only see the good qualities, and it’s not until after making a commitment to the relationship that we notice something a bit smelly (You know what I mean). Because we can’t put our finger on the problem we tend to either willingly take the blame or lay it on the other person (be careful not to call names because it may stick after the problem is resolved).

When smelly is left unresolved in a relationship it can cause real damage that can be quite costly to repair. The good news is, most things can be repaired if we are willing to pay the price and make the required investment. As you evaluate the relationships in your life you may find trouble. It is always more beneficial to choose to make the investment needed to fix the real problem rather than lay false blame or hope the problem will go away by itself. Some may even choose to abandon the relationship thinking there is a more meaningful relationship with less problems right around the corner. But I have found that even when there are multiple repairs that need to be made that repeatedly reveal themselves over a long period of time, it’s not impossible for the relationship to take on the feel of a brand new one. I encourage you to make the investments needed to get your relationship functioning at its best. In spite of the high maintenance costs most relationships are worth keeping. Who knows you may even grow to appreciate and enjoy the other person.