When our grey Honda Odysee reached 250,000 miles we decided it was time to buy a new one and we gave the old car to our son and his family.  My son and daughter-in-law have two small children and we thought this would be a good "run around" back up vehicle for them.  To my surprise they used this vehicle a great deal and kept it for several years.  They also continued my practice of regular oil changes and regular preventative maintenance.  Well, this approach apparently paid off.  The other day my son sent me a picture of the odometer:  the car had just reached 400,000 miles.  These miles were all achieved with the original engine.  Although there are no guarantees, preventative maintenance seems to be a strategy, in many cases, that works.

Recently my wife got a splinter in her hand.  It was very small (difficult to see) and impossible for her to extract on her own.  Still, this small object caused her some pain and great annoyance.  She finally summoned my help to do some "surgery."  Once we got it out she said, "I can't believe how much this small splinter has disrupted my day!"  Her experience, however, confirms a principle that proves true in many areas of life.