My friend Mark's restored red corvette.

I went to visit my friend Mark at his home the other day.  I knew he liked to restore vintage cars but I was not prepared for what I saw in his garage.  As soon as we walked through the door I saw a beautifully restored gas pump standing next to an old rusted gas pump.

"This one looked worse than this one when I got it in Montana." He said as he pointed at the two gas pumps.

The pump of the left looked brand new while the one on the right was rusted and worn.  I was amazed at my friend's talent as I surveyed the gleaming transformation to my left.  My eyes darted from left to right as I looked at the two starkly different machines.  Then something bright and shiny caught my eye a little further to the right.

It was a little red, convertible corvette!  And, just like the gas pump that had stolen my eyes away it confiscated my vision completely.  I looked at every perfectly painted curve and each tucked hem of the upholstery.  It was flawless, I thought to myself and it was at that exact moment that I learned some life changing lessons.

First, there are times when you will see your life as if it is old, tired and rusted away.  When that happens, take a long look in the mirror and see the beauty that is still there, just below the surface.  With a little planning and elbow grease it can be restored to a wonderful luster.

Second, Mark told me that he doesn't have to recreate every part of the cars he restores.  There are companies that specialize in providing perfect reproduction parts.  He calls on them when he needs some specialized expertise he hasn't yet cultivated.  So, when you face challenges you don't have experience in overcoming; simply call for some assistance from someone who knows the ropes that seem to be binding you.

Third, some things, like the retractable soft top, take a lot of stretching and pulling in order to get them into the right position.  What matters here is that you have a frame work with which to work.  Without the proper plan it's impossible to get the right solution to fit.  Make sure you take time to create the proper plan before you try to fit a solution to cover it.  Lots of people would say they just don't have the time make or follow a plan, but when viewed in this light you can see that to get the best result there is no other substitute for the perfect framework.

I was looking at the perfect framework, properly restored so I had to ask the perfect question.  "Do you ever take it out and drive it?"

"I take it out all the time.  I love to drive it!" Mark replied.

I looked back at him with a smile.  Who wouldn't love to drive a perfectly restored classic? Then I saw my reflection in the glass. 

I saw a classic that could use a lot of restoration!  I allowed my eyes to swim over the rest of the beautiful car and said to myself, "Yes! I have a lot of work to do, but I'll be a beautiful thing when I'm finished."