The urge to follow our habits is natural for everyone, but sometimes it’s important to think about what exactly those habits are and if they really are something that we need/should do. For example, given the context of recent events, I am wondering how far beyond Oklahoma this car-washing obsession extends.
When Every Newscast Must Remind You NOT to Wash Your Car
If you were watching the news in late February, you saw images of the devastation wrought in Texas from the arctic blast. The frigid temperatures knocked out power and water to millions of Texans. Across the border in Oklahoma, we experienced the record-breaking cold and snow, but fortunately most escaped the loss of basic services.
Here in Tulsa, the power grid was tested to the limit, especially when the temperatures plunged all the way down to minus-13 degrees! Everyone was asked to conserve electricity as much as possible. When the water main breaks started accelerating, everyone was asked to conserve water too. The message was conveyed clearly—please limit laundry and dishwashers—which makes sense.
But then, as soon as the days got a little warmer, a new message hit the airwaves—please don’t wash your car. The rolling blackouts were behind us, but the water limitations remained in place as the city struggled to repair 200+ breaks. Soon every newscast included this request—please put off washing your car.
Then, finally, the situation improved enough that drivers no longer had to resist—and the lines at the corner carwashes grew longer than ever, even blocking traffic at times.
Habits—Helpful or Hurtful?
So, maybe the underlying message is that Tulsans take pride in having a clean car. Maybe, because they haven’t lived in snowy states, their baseline is not winter months when the amount of sand, salt, and slush on the roads will continuously replace all color on a car with endless gray splatter, no matter how much you attempt to hold it off. Maybe it’s something else that simply escapes me because I’m not an Okie.
But, what it also makes me wonder is—what about our other habits? What other things do we do without thinking, because we think they’re expected or because we’re accustomed to doing them? Are all of our habits harmless? What else are we doing that would take a newscast to make us think twice?