The Classic Getaway Car

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah by Fredre'Oni

The most glorious car in the world. The timeless character and beauty that just draws you in time and time again. The gentleman behavior. The overjoyed feeling. The rush of emotions when in full speed.

Oh the classic getaway car.

The getaway car that we all long for. Something to just distract us from our everyday lives. Something that we haven’t experienced in a while. And now. Now. It is your whole world. It is the incessant need to go back to the heist every single time just to ride that getaway car.

Why can it not be just the regular car ride?

Well my dear passenger, the getaway car is just that unexpected person you meet that changes your perspective on life. Or that addictive source that you just crave constantly. You think that this thing is your savior because they just give you the time of day, make you feel things you have never felt before, shown you that kindness that you haven’t received in a while, or it is just new to your crazy lifestyle.

It is the one you want to run away with when the heist gets rough.

But we all know, from the famous words of Taylor Swift, that the getaway car will never get far because you just have to remember the time when you first met.

Reflect on the time when it was first introduced to you. Be really objective with yourself.

What was going on deep down inside of you? What were you truly feeling to make you run towards the most convenient commodity?

Well, were you sad? Were you lost? Were you confused? Were you bored? Were you lonely?

You were searching for something. You didn’t know what that something was and so you thought that the answer to it all was the classic getaway car.

Reality set in, the sun came up. The heist was over. You wiped your sunglasses and saw that it really was just an old classic car that has internal issues of its own. It pollutes your air making you and your world unhealthy.

And that is fine because we all have those moments. Do not be ashamed of those moments because those moments were vital to the next trip ahead.

Why?

Because you looked in the rearview mirror and recognized that you were stuck at a deadend. You recognized that this feeling was not long term. You recognized you deserved more than this fictional feeling.

You recognized that you joined in on the heist because you thought this classic getaway car was going to take you to where you were going to be happy. But in truth, you were the only person that can drive yourself to that stable road you longed for. You are not the passenger vulnerable to someone else’s direction. You are the driver. You are using your own gas to go to great heights. So make it worth your while, take the scenic route because we all know that the ride of authenticity is better than those of the cliché shortcuts.

If you are currently struggling and need help:

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you.