Though I am always alarmed – something I know embarrassingly that I should not be – interjecting a new vehicle into one’s life is forever unbalancing. Since 9 o’clock this morning (when I met my sales agent Jane Dechert at Reid Bros Motor Sales in the Town of Arnprior to complete my purchase) – I have been “acquainting” myself with the Cadillac Optiq. The bottom line is that I am pleased.  We have yet to defeat the Sirius XM business; but – most importantly – the mechanical side and comfort of the vehicle are good. I christened the vehicle this afternoon by putting it through the car wash at Petro-Canada on Campeau Drive in Kanata; then streamed along the winding country highway with the windows open on this splendid sunny day. We also have a small matter relating to the hanging of the charging cord – requiring what we believe to be a screw to suspend the heavy portion of the cable against the pillar where the 240v outlet is installed. Our building superintendent has helpfully agreed to address the matter on Monday.

There are always small matters and inconveniences such as these to contaminate what otherwise might have been an ideal alignment. I am gratified that these conflicts have nothing to do with the operation of the motor vehicle. There was in fact an initial mechanical concern as I adjusted unwittingly to the “one-pedal” driving feature whereby the propulsion and braking operate independently and automatically on the accelerator as one’s foot is pressed onto or lifted from the pedal. It is a unique custom requiring enforcement of habit before being fully acceptable to the uninitiated; however it is – with time – a surprisingly native maneuver. When, in my initial state of anxiety about the function, I called the sales agent and quickly learned how to turn off the process, a moment of regret lingered.  Comparatively in retrospect the mechanism of one pedal is appealing.

That particular piece of the learning curve was as estranged as it was afterwards driving into a gas station this afternoon and remarking instantly that it was predominantly obsolete and redundant. How quickly things  change! Only when I later returned home and dealt with the charging did I revisit the theme of energy – but clearly with a much different intimation and flavour. By now I have adapted to the ever-changing world of popular conveyance and in the process of this unending evolution and modernization I have reminded myself of the more significant elements of society and the Condition Humaine. To be blunt, the sad truth is that the physical world – as invigorating as it so often is especially after a lush springtime – is nonetheless dependent for its lasting vitality upon the strength of our personal relationships. It requires but a moment’s candid reflection to observe that a crate of nuts, bolts and wires in a fleetingly shiny box on wheels is no competition for the magnanimity of a happy relationship, Some are blessed to have many such relationships in the broad spectrum of a local family; for others, the singularity is more confined. In either case however nothing surpasses the meaning of heartfelt communication. Meanwhile I continue to anticipate another agreeable day of driving my automobile (we’ve already spoken of going to the golf club for breakfast tomorrow). I haven’t the need or attraction of getting my head out of the clouds; but neither will I diminish an enticing event at the doorstep. The reservation is mostly a matter of balance.