farmdoc's blog post number 654

Wikipedia says Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926-2004) was a Swiss-born psychiatrist, and the author of the 1969 groundbreaking book On Death and Dying in which she first discussed what’s now known as the Kübler-Ross model. This model sets out, in five discrete sequential stages, a process by which people deal with grief and tragedy. Twelve days ago, on Friday 22 January, I traded in my Peugeot for a 2010 Mitsubishi Triton GLS 4WD diesel dual cab flat-tray ute (pictured). I’ve been unable to write about it until now because I’ve been grieving for my Peugeot – which I owned for a bit over 2½ years. Among its many features I’m missing are its miserly fuel consumption, superb sound system, trip computer, automatic headlights, automatic wipers, automatic door locking, climate control and digital cruise control. The Triton has none of these. Its fuel consumption’s about double the Peugeot’s, and it goes like a truck. But it has all the safety gear;its 4WD enables access to lots more bushwalks; and my bike fits on the flat tray. Why did I change vehicles now? I can’t tell you. I can’t think about it. I’m too grief-stricken. The Kübler-Ross model’s been debunked – mainly because the five stages are no longer considered to be sequential. True, as currently I have elements of four of them. Of course the Peugeot and the Triton are only vehicles. And Sweetheart Vivienne thinks I’ll grow to love the Triton. But I doubt it. Anyway time will tell. Stay tuned. Ho hum.