Driving a Run Down Buick

One of my favorite analogies is that of your body being like a car. Some of us have top of the line Ferraris and some of us have run-down Buicks. I liken my body with its illness (schizophrenia) to a run-down Buick. It goes slower than most cars, and sometimes breaks down in unexpected (or expected!) ways. An intrusive thought is like a noisy muffler and hallucinations like a broken rear-view mirror.

However, there are some benefits to driving a run-down Buick. One of those is that you learn how to drive safely on the road with faster cars. You also learn the ins-and-outs of repairs and mechanics. It can even be quite mentally stimulating figuring out how and why a particular car part is breaking down.

And let’s be honest: before we drive a Maybach, we all need to test our driving abilities in a run-down Buick. As a first car, it can’t be beat!