“DOING THE VALVES, TIMING, AND MINOR MAINTENANCE ON YOUR OWN CAR WILL NOT ONLY CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR TRANSPORTATION BUT WILL ALSO CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF!”

– John Muir

and from the comments:

“This is a beautiful point. Many in my generation (millennial) have never experienced this firsthand. You do not know the full meaning of ownership until you have maintained or modified the thing. You cannot buy full ownership; you must participate.”

– LYNDON

There is a bond that forms when you take the time to repair something. Even swapping out the tire on your car. If you do it yourself successfully, you’ll see seams, and bolts, and rivets, the cars personality, will reveal itself a bit.

Like you’re setting her right. And she appreciates the attention.

Stewart Brand, Maintenance: Of Everything, Part One (San Francisco: Stripe Press, 2026), 92.