A couple days ago, I came home from a $75 hand detail on my car. At 10 years old, my ride’s not really worth a second look, but I treat my old Toyota as if it’s a brand new Ferrari. My wife sees me gloating over the new gloss finish and immediately asks me, “How is it that you get your car professionally washed three weeks in a row and you’ve been avoiding a haircut for the past two months?” The connection is completely lost on me. I squirt some extra Armor-All on the tires and fart.

After letting her casual comment simmer for a couple days, I slowly start to “get it.” She takes care of herself, thinks about what she eats and pays attention to her body. In her world, a car is a stupid mechanical device.

I suspect many of you are like me though. We baby our cars, yet have little to no regard for our bodies. Mind boggling, don’t you think? I’m religious about changing the oil, flushing out the fluids and keeping my tires properly inflated. On the other hand, I completely trash my body. I exercise regularly, so I think I can get away with it.

Would you ever shove Cheetos or an Awesome Blossom into your gas tank? Of course not. Yet you barely give it a second thought when those cravings hit at two in the morning.

What happens when your car starts to overheat? You freak out, pull over and call a tow truck, right? When your body is giving out in the wee hours, what do you do? You slam some Red Bull and pray for the best.

I’ve been adamant about keeping my car garaged; the thought of it baking in the sun is simply unacceptable. However, if my wife suggests I put on a little sunscreen, I groan and act as if she’s asked me to spend the afternoon getting a mani-pedi with the cast of The View.

I have a friend that insists on exclusive Belgian motor oil in all his cars, yet it’s not uncommon to see him downing excessive amounts of Bleu Cheese and Johnny Walker Red.

I know these examples are very concrete and the point has been made time and again, but I fear many of you are like me – it takes a hammer to the head before the message really starts to sink in. That being said, I’ll point out that on a recent road trip, my wife watched while I put premium unleaded gasoline into our car. On that same convenience store stop, I got a Big Red soda, a stick of beef jerky and some Gummy Savers.

I’m worth a million bucks alive, at least that’s what my life insurance premium says. My car, on the other hand, is worth about $8,000 and I care about it more. I know many Austinites who are incredibly diligent when it comes to their exercise and sports activities, but are we taking into account what we’re putting in the tank? Because of my wife’s keen observation, I’m now asking myself that very question and taking it into consideration. That doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it, but I hear ya’ loud and clear sweety.