I have been thinking a lot about my machines of late, mainly because I am in the middle of projects on three of them.

But let’s get some clarification on the term before I go on. In my opinion we have a choice in life between “Machines” and “Vehicles”.  And, no, I am not necessarily talking about “vehicles” in the vehicular sense.

However, I can see that I am not making a lot of sense outside my head. So here is what I mean;

A ”vehicle” can be a mode of transportation. A car, a bus, a motorcycle, you get the drift. However, in this sense I use “vehicle” in the sense of something that does a task. It could be a car (vehicular device) or it could be a fan or a pen, it is something used … a vehicle for action.

A “machine” to me has more meaning. Machines imply a sense of the mechanical. Something that must be maintained in a way to get the most out of it. The body is a machine that if we do not properly maintain becomes out of shape and of less use to us.

We live in a society of “vehicles” and most (in my humble opinion) have no soul.

Okay, so now we are talking about the soul!? Yes and no.

You really must work to be clearer!

Okay, okay, look at it this way. Whether it comes to cars or motorcycles or shaving apparatus I have strived to select machines. I could choose to get the low maintenance commodity item or I can make a choice to choose something that I think has soul. Things that require upkeep typically have soul. They are things you must be involved with, tinker with, to make them perform properly.

Shaving is the most innocuous of daily events. However, some time back I switched to wet shaving. I bought a double blade razor; some shave soap and began taking my time and really enjoying the aspect of the simple task of shaving. It’s saving me money (About .70 cents per blade as opposed to $3 per disposable blade) and it requires some tuning of the components and my technique to get a good outcome (and yes, I have cut myself a time or two in the process – machines require respect or they can bite you).

Automobiles and motorcycles are the same. I have chosen them, mostly, upon my knowledge of their mechanical capabilities and had to deal with the upkeep. Yes, I could have gotten a very low maintenance vehicle to save cost, but I would rather have a machine I can learn how to work on.

Of course I have a mechanical nature when it comes to automobiles and motorcycles. Thus, I go for what I think has a mechanical soul (Harley, Triumph, BSA, Indian, Mini, Corvette….).

But this extends to my body as well. I could go on a diet (I typically need to) and be done. However, I need to “work” on my body. I like martial arts so I continue to train thirty years after I started. No, not as frequently as I once did, but enough to keep the machine tuned. I used to like to lift weights but as I age I find that they hurt my joints. So I could just stop and walk like all the other old men, but I don’t. I want to tune the machine. So I chose core training products that allow me to use my range of motion and that work well in conjunction with my martial arts training. I chose products that have multiple functions and allow me to change up what I do to keep my routine fresh.

I find that as I age this all becomes so much more important, the upkeep on the machines. It keeps my mind fresh as well. I must remember how and work out the fine details around keeping machines functioning at their peak.

Writing is another machine I must keep up. This, I find, is one of the hardest. It tests me each time and it is an easy machine to put aside for the vehicle of reading. Both are of value, but the writing must be kept up where the reading is simple to do. However, when I do not read with my writing in mind I miss things that are valuable to what I write. Reading becomes the service manual to my writing and both have a voracious appetite for another machine I must be diligent to keep up with – time.

If I am careless with this machine it gets used up quite quickly. It also breaks down quite rapidly when I do not maintain it and then does nothing gets done.

We were not meant to simply use vehicles in this life. We were meant to maintain the machines of our lives with care. When we simply see everything as a vehicle life loses its soul and becomes bland and … lifeless.

We too must man our machines. Machines require diligence, maintenance and tending. Letting them run rampant often results in damage. The care and feeding of our machines is a simple beauty in life. It takes us back to a time when people cared for what they had. Each possession had a purpose unlike today’s commodity based society.

Ask yourself if you are more of a machine or vehicle person. Maybe it is time to get back in touch with your machines.