It was a beautiful morning so we zipped down to our favorite DIY car wash to knock some of the dust & road grime off of Caliente.

Dede & I both realized that we’re only now beginning to understand the value of chores that, as kids, we begrudged.   What am I talking about?   Well, washing our cars, for starters, I didn’t get why Rich took such great pride in laboriously slathering Turtle Wax on his cars.   Likewise, I sure didn’t get why it mattered to mow the grass all the stinking time.

But now...

Mowing, edging, trimming & cleaning up the yard still isn’t the most fun thing in the world, but it is among the most satisfying (and therapeudic) of my homeowner tasks.   With the swell of pride I get from inspecting my freshly manicured yard, you’d think I had invented the lawnmower or something.   And from the proud grin that a shiney coat of wax on our cars plants firmly on our faces, you’d think we actually had a hand in building them.

Yeah, now I get it...

"Sweat equity."   If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s the thing that transforms a house into a home — and turns something you own into a thing of value that you cherish.   It gives you the feeling that you’ve earned the right to ownership.   Sweat equity makes you feel like you’ve made good use of a day.

And hey, the few bucks saved and bit of energy exerted washing our own cars helps us feel a little less guilty about the occassional splurge at Starbucks...

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