It felt like I triggered a private earthquake.

My ‘97 Jeep Cherokee had started VIOLENTLY shaking.
The steering wheel jackhammered against my palms.
Not ideal while descending a steep hill on a two-lane highway—at 65 mph.
​(For my Colorado folks—that final hill of Hwy 36 into Boulder.)

I side-eyed the emergency brake.
It was held together with duct tape.
​Dare I?

After what felt like minutes of terrifying chaos (probably 60 seconds)
I managed to pull to the shoulder.
​Holy deep breaths.

Apparently, there’s a term for this suspension issue:
​The Chrysler Death Wobble. ​
​Yep, that felt accurate.

That was 2019.
My Jeep finally went out to pasture in 2024.
(Pour one out.)
​
When it didn’t start after paddling the local reservoir, it felt like it was giving me a shove.
It needed a ton of work to be semi-reliable again.
​And I needed to make space for something new.

I loved that Jeep...
Got my license in it.
Blasted Dave Matthews in the high school lot.
Cruised Ocean City, MD with girlfriends.
Drove it cross-country to Colorado with my husband.

But eventually, I had to let go—and move on.
Not everything is meant to last forever.
And sometimes, the bravest, wisest thing we can do?

Walk away so you can walk towards the next great thing.

I’ll always cherish that peppy Jeep.
But I’ll tell ya—now that I’m driving a reliable car with a functioning emergency brake?

I’m grateful I let go, so I can drive on.

Maura

Ps: What have you found hard to let go of that eventually led to a great new beginning? Big or small, hit reply—because I’d love to hear your story.

Want to work together? Check out my new services:

​veggiesandvodka.com now has Health Coaching packages
​maurakcreative.com now has Creative Consulting and Coaching packages

I’m also working on "just for fun" side project I can’t wait to share with you – and I'm gonna need your help to bring it to life!