Sometimes you want something for so long that the wanting becomes a part of you. When this happens, and the chance to actually have the thing comes along, you find yourself hesitating, stalling, not ready to let go of the wanting.

This is part of our 100 Things in 2018 challenge. Make sure to click on the photos!

I’ve known I wanted a Tesla since the Model S was introduced in 2012, but I also knew that the one I wanted wasn’t being made yet. Tesla declared publicly their long-term strategy, which was to change the entire automotive industry, but also to make an affordable car that was awesome. So I waited.

And then they announced the Model 3, and started taking pre-orders. For $1000, you could secure your place in line to have one of these amazing machines. But I wasn’t ready yet. For one thing, Will had just started at Sandhill, so all big purchases were on hold until we knew how long he would be there. For another, I wasn’t ready to let go of the wanting.

As it turned out, serendipity helped me make the decision. A coworker of mine decided to buy into the DIY-camper-van lifestyle, which meant he wasn’t going to use his Model 3 reservation. So in late February I paid him back his deposit, and he transferred his Tesla account to me, and now it looks like this when I log in:

It’s likely that if I had finally talked myself into it and put down my own deposit, my delivery date would be sometime in 2019. So thanks, Mick, you helped me trade a year of wanting for a year of having.

I’m really excited to get this car, and I’m also excited to be supporting a company with such a bold vision. If you like long reads about interesting topics, there’s an amazing series of posts at Wait But Why about Elon Musk. You won’t be sorry.