I got my 2010 silver Honda Civic in my senior year of high school in 2016. It couldn’t have been more perfect. I hate to admit that I didn’t have my full license when I got the car, so I even learned how to drive in this car. I passed my road test on the first try in this car, so from the beginning my Civic was there for me. My road test was a do or die moment because the next day I had a volleyball tournament outside the city and no one was going to available to drive me. The pressure was on. Once I got my license I was on top of the world. I remember wanting to drive everywhere. I had no fear like most people do when they first start driving. You could see me one week after getting my license, on the highway, absolutely flying.
I think something most people appreciate about driving is the alone time. This is an extremely special moment. I’ve caught myself having full on conversations all alone. As well, I blast the music as loud as I want and let my emotions run. I have probably done more crying in my car than in my bedroom. One particular memory sticks out to me when I think of crying in my car. When my boyfriend from high school and I broke up, I remember driving the infamous Sambro Loop in Halifax and absolutely scream crying. I had to pull over halfway because I could not see the road. Ed Sheeran’s “She” was on repeat. “She” was the song my boyfriend and I were obsessed with, so naturally I had to put it on to further ruin my day. But through it all, my car stood beside me and proved to be one of the most effective forms of therapy.
In high school I feel like it is relatively common for one friend to have a car and that is someone you naturally rotate around. Although some of my friends had cars, mine was definitely a staple in my friend group. Whenever we were going anywhere, it was assumed I was driving. I loved it. On our free periods I would drive a group of my friends to the beach, mall, McDonald’s, Sobeys, you name it. My friend Laura use to stash extra change in the back-cup holder so she always had enough money for an iced coffee. We loved that car, and still do. A unique feature to my car in high school was my Drake air freshener. I was at the mall during lunch with my friends and we went into Zumiez and it was love at first sight. I had that Drake air freshener hung up in my car for probably three years. It was completely discoloured when I finally took it down. It was a way to distinguish my car in. a sea of Civic’s in the JL Ilsley parking lot. Everyone knew that car was mine. I love this car so much because it truly brought me closer to all my friends in high school. I knew every single day there would be at least two people in my car when I drove home from school, and that made me really happy.
My full-time job as a chauffeur did not stop in high school. I thought going into university there would be more people with cars. I was wrong. Again, my car became a staple in my friend group. It takes us to Moncton to get clothes and to the liquor store every Friday. Almost three times a week, my roommates and I all crawl into my car and head to the gas station for snacks. In my first and second year of university my car allowed me to go pick up my best friend Claire at the airport. It also allows me to race back to Halifax sporadically if I’m having a bad week. Recently, since COVID, my car has been extremely important. It’s hard being cooped up in Sackville, and my car has given my roommates and I the ability to escape. We drove to Fundy for a weekend trip with my parents and we go to my cottage for day trips. Without it, we would sit on the couch every day and waste away. Thank you, Honda, for keeping us sane during these unprecedented times of boredom.
This may be controversial, but I prefer my cars janky little aux cord over Bluetooth. There is something so classic to me about an AUX cord. I know it will work every time. I’m sure my friends feel the same way because it is so much easier to pass around the DJ position. There is no fight to connect. Just plug it in and away you go. Although this definitively has no correlation, I am convinced AUX cords are louder than Bluetooth. I’m not sure why and there is absolutely no research to back this, but it’s what I feel. Overall, I love the simplicity of my car, it has powered windows and locks which all I need right now.
This car is no spring chicken either. It celebrated its 10th birthday this year and has yet to cause me any real issues. I was driving back from school for Christmas break 2 years ago my car spun off the road when I hit a patch of ice. I didn’t get hurt or anything, but I was chilling in the median of the highway for a good 2 hours before CAA came to pull me out. I remember thinking that something must have broken on the car, but nothing did. That day it turned from a car to a snowplough, because it pushed through a couple feet of snow and came out scratch free. When the cops were speaking to me, they told me I was lucky the car didn’t flip. So not only is my car my best friend it is also my protector. Thank you for not killing me or costing me thousands of dollars in repairs.
So dear 2010 Honda Civic,
I love you
My Twenty Somethings 