'59 Renault and Your Body
My first car was a '59 Renault.
- Towing Black Renault back to Texas
It was a black, 4 door, with a 3 speed stick transmission.
My dad bought it from my brother-in-law in California. Guess what?
We towed it from California all the way to south Texas!
My mom tells me they got a good deal on toilet paper and filled the car
up with it. Ha. I don't really remember that part of the trip.
When we got it home my dad told me to always check the oil and water.
I was 17 and responsible.
What does a '59 Renault and Your Body have in common?
There are some things you are NOT supposed to do with them, and
There are some things you ARE supposed to do with them and to them.
Let me explain.
Oh, isn't it sad you have to learn a lot of life lessons the hard way?
I really liked this little car.
I would drive it to school. I'd even pick up some of my friends and give them rides.
It was a very small car...
- small doors
- small windows
- small wiper blades
- small engine
- small fuel tank
- small wheels
- small seats
There was no air conditioning, just roll your windows down and enjoy the breeze.
Oh, this car did not go very fast. I think the top speed was between 45 - 50 mph.
I was going to put a sign in my back window that said
I'm peddling as fast as I can.
or
I may be slow, but I'm ahead of you.
But, I didn't do it because I didn't want to provoke a fight from some redneck or goat roper.
One day some of my friends and I took the little black '59 Renault to Port Aransas
so we could go to the beach and look at the pretty girls.
Back in those days you could actually drive on the beach. So, what did I do?
I drove as fast as I could on the edge of the water [about 3 inches deep or so]
and my buddies and I opened all 4 doors.
It was so cool. I wish I had a video of it.
Of course, we got a little wet but it was a lot of fun and no one got hurt and
I didn't get the car stuck in the sand.
On another occasion my friend, Robert, and I were driving out to
Ingleside on The Bay.
We saw our other friend, Bruce, on a bicycle and we slowed down to talk.
Bruce said, "Give me a tow."
So, he held onto the back door handle and his bike at the same time.
I accelerated and slowly picked up speed. Bruce was still beside me holding on.
At some point I guess I was going too fast for him to hang on, or something
happened, and he let go; went off the road into the ditch; did a flip off the bike
and landed upright on his feet walking backward. [That was a long time ago.
I think that is pretty accurate.]
I'm so thankful he didn't break a bone, or his neck, or worse, he could have died.
So, remember what my dad told me? To check the oil and water?
One night we were driving around and I remember the engine [located in
the back of the car] caught on fire!
Some of my buddies were in a car following me and flashed their lights
to get me to stop. We got some water out of the ditch and put out the fire.
I drove it home. No problem.
But sometime after that this little car decided not to want to start.
I tinkered with the spark plugs, the wires, the battery, the starter.
It wouldn't start.
My dad finally looked at it and said it was out of oil. Apparently it
had seized up or something and was not going to run without an overhaul.
So, what does a '59 Renault and Your
Body have in common?
Without the proper maintenance, care and fuel neither one will work properly.
And if you mistreat either one or do things that you are not supposed to
do with them you will have consequences.
It was not safe to drive on the beach with the doors open, or to give
Bruce a tow and take a chance on killing him.
And it was certainly not prudent to let the oil run out and ruin the engine.
The same is true with out bodies and our health.
They are not designed for substance abuse like pills, or alchohol or drugs.
They are intended to be living machines that run properly when fed a good diet
and exercise and rest are part of the regimen.
Take my advice:
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