Gone with the old?

It's official. My turbo Taurus of a car, is no longer considered to be Cubs175 on record. The license plate that once graced the presence of a van, then a LeBaron, and finally the red rhino, is now retired. When it was time to change my title to put under my husband's name, we decided it was less expensive to be assigned a random license plate. With that said, I felt a lump in my throat when my husband walked through the door this evening, holding the remnants of yet another piece of Janna Elton's past. Yes....I do realize how dramatic this may sound, but isn't that the purpose of a unique writer? I often get the same feeling when it comes time to throw out that pair of pants that I've had since high school, only sending them to their grave on a "fabric malfunction."

I realized today that giving up my former last name (which will hopefully, legally occur soon) goes hand in hand with giving up other parts and memories. My license plate, being one of the puzzle pieces. Who's to say that this is a negative number, however it is still difficult to watch portions of who you were proud to be, and what you were "proud to drive" (in so few words), become someone, or something else. The red Taurus that sits in the driveway is now another number among the millions of registered drivers in the state of Illinois. At least Janna Elton (Howard), the person isn't just a number to those special people around me (however the license plate fact does remain true no matter who is standing next to me). JP and I tried to memorize it tonight but it doesn't bode well that he cannot even memorize his number that he has had for several years. O well...it seemed appropriate that I retire the psuedo-name "Cubs21" in the year that I believe the Cubs retired their entire team prior to the first pitch of the playoffs. So long Cubby bear....hello 2304982304982034982039840239840293840293480239480238402