Driving Onward with Visionary Vehicles

My entire life, I've driven Cadillacs. My first car was a Coupe DeVille named Cherlindrea.

 Cherlindrea

Later, I had a strawberry red Seville named Joan. I got voted 2nd place in the "Best Car" catagory, my senior year of high school.
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Joan, the Seville, and I

The last Cadillac of mine was Janet, an black STS.

Janet

Well, Janet started going the way of the dodo. Her electrical system was shorting out and she was overheating. Then the air conditioning pooped out, followed by the battery and the alternator. On the day we replaced the alternator, we learned that the upper arms that held the rear wheels vertical were worn out. This would have been a $1400 fix. Finally, we were putting more money into Janet than she was worth.

After much consideration of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, we ended up going another way. As a creative mama, my car is more than just transportation, to me. The vehicle that I drive is not only a mirror of me and my personality, but also the mode of conveyance to adventures for myself and my family. It's my winged chariot. I look upon my cars like people used to look upon horses, a necessity, but also a close friend. So, naturally, not just any car would do. My vehicle would have to be one quite special.

For me, cars and their names have always been an extension of a persons' personality. I feel that I can get to know a person by seeing not only what kind of car they drive, but if they name it and the story behind the name, as well. Most of my friends have named their cars and, yes, we do refer to each others' cars by their names. If you spend enough time in a car, they seem to have personalities all their own. Maybe this is why both ships and airplanes are named. They're our buddies on our missions, our faithful steeds, and they take us forward into our lives and adventures, both literally and figuratively.

After a little scouting around local dealerships for a car, a friend of mine who's the mama of 2 grown boys suggested a minivan. I'd never considered a minivan, before, and I certainly couldn't picture myself driving one. I'd never thought of myself as a soccer-minivan-cookie-cutter-type mama. But, as I thought about it, the idea seemed practical. I have a daughter who's turning 1 year old this month as well as a 9 year old stepson. My fiancee and I are avid crafters and we love going camping. A bigger vehicle would suit us, nicely.

My friend had even seen the perfect van for me. It was a Dodge Caravan and it was purple. Purple is my favorite color and, often, the color of my hair. Anyone who knows me knows that anything colored purple makes me happy. Just hearing that my new possible vehicle was purple was almost enough to sell me on it, right there.

When I don't have to look like a responsible adult -- Purple Hair

The day we bought the van, we test drove her and I was in love. Needless to say, the purple van came home with me the next week. Then came the wonderful process of naming the van. It was, in fact, the first vehicle who had not given me an inclination of it's name the first time I sat in it. For instance, the song "Black Cat" by Janet Jackson started going through my head the first time I sat in my STS. Thus, she was christened "Janet." But the van didn't speak its name to me, no. So I went to Facebook and took a poll.

The Van

Some of the names suggested:

Prince
Grape Ape
PurplePalace
Smoochy
Jimi
Grimace
Barney
Purple People Eater
Purple People Mover
Violet Beauregard

Isn't it wonderful to have creative friends? After driving the van around for a week, I decided that she was shy and we settled on name -- "Violet the Visonary Van" with either "Violet" or "V3," for short.

The next step is to get The Visionary Van all decked out. I will be getting a custom decorative license plate for the front and a decal that goes across the back to promote this blog. Maybe, even a sticker that references Joseph Campbell, "Don't follow me -- I'm following my bliss."

So, the next time you see a purple minivan, check out the driver and the stickers. If the driver is a girl with long brown hair who's dancing to her radio, you just might have spotted me.

What about you, my readers? Do you name your cars? Is there a story behind your cars' name? Tell me about those various chariots that drive you forward into your dreams.

And always remember that we are all visionaries. We just have to figure out where we excel.