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

We both realized that we're only now beginning to understand the value of chores that, as kids, we resented the heck out of. What am I talking about? Well, washing our cars, for starters. When I was a kid, 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 and cleaning up the yard still isn't the most fun thing in the world, but its among the most satisfying of my homeowner tasks. With the swell of pride I get from inspecting my freshly manicured yard, you'd think I had invented the lawn mower 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 had a hand in building them.

Now I do get it...

"Sweat equity." If you're not familiar with the term, its the thing that turns a house into a home and makes something you own become some you value or cherish. It gives you the feeling that you've earned the right to ownership. 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 sure helps us feel a little less guilty about the occassional Frappuccino...

Labels: opinion