We got a new car recently, and I am thrilled with it. I had been driving a 1996 Taurus, which had 267,000 miles and a multitude of sins. Alan Wunnecka now has it in his scrap heap.
The new car is a 1993 Taurus with 150,000 miles. It has a good radio and cruise control. The muffler is a little loud, and the check engine light flickers to life every so often, but no problem.
Some people might not be as thrilled as I am with my new car, but itís a big improvement, and thatís the key to my happiness.
It got me to thinking about how improvements work or donít work.
Look around in your life ñ there are improvements everywhere. Start with your car; bet itís a lot nicer than that 1954 Chevy your family drove when you were a kid. And we havenít seen anything compared to whatís coming, with navigation systems that tell you how to get to the Christmas party, and satellite radio, got to have that, and of course a DVD player for the kiddies.
Your camera sure beats the old Kodak Brownie or even Instamatic. Remember how excited everyone was when that came out? Now we are getting digital models that are built into our cell phones.
Speaking of which, your telephone went from a wall hanger to a cordless to something called a razor. (Probably donít even have that spelled right.)
And what the heck is a Black Berry? They can do anything except wash the dishes, so Iím told before my head goes spinning.
Your house is a lot warmer now, better insulated. It has indoor plumbing! A few people can remember trips to the Johnny House. Cindy and I spent the first 12 years of our married life making that trek. We appreciate indoor plumbing. But we take it for granted too.
I saw a display of old ice skates at the historical societyís open house a couple weeks ago. Remember those double runners that got strapped to the bottom of your boots? Not quite the same as todayís modern molded wonders.
Television has gone from tiny black and white screens to color. Wow, I remember going to Stanley Cramís house in 1966 to watch Star Trek on a color TV. Heaven. Now we have 52-inch, high definition models with about 200 channels to choose from ñ if we so choose. And pretty soon that will be the ho-hum norm.
I could go on and on. Thatís the thing: we are surrounded by improvements. Iím not sure we need them all, but Iíll leave that judgment to each individual and family.
Itís nice to go through the evolution of things, and think about it on occasion. Itís nice to appreciate the progress we have made, and also to ask ourselves, ìDo we really need that?î Especially this time of year when the commercials on TV have greed as their underlying theme.
In the meantime, Iíll keep on driving my ìnewî car, and do so happily.

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