I have friends who have begun introducing me as "This is Kyrstin:she doesn't have a car", almost like a modern variation of "dances-with-wolves". I suppose it's a refreshing change from having my whole identity be, apparently, “The Boy's Mom”, but I'm not sure my lack of car is as defining as all that. I have yet to achieve full car freedom, and even if I had, my real goal is to live a sustainable and rewarding life. Cycling is a big part of that goal, but it is a far cry from being the whole kit-and-caboodle
Perhaps it's the new moniker, or just because I love a challenge, anyway I am going to begin an experiment to see how long I can go without getting in a car. They say you are defined by what you cant give up, so I guess I'll see how well I do giving up cars, and how long I can make it last. Sunday is the start of the week, start of daylight savings time and start of the new quarter --what better time to start the experiment.
2 comments:
I think you can go quite awhile without getting in a car if you lead a simple, local life. The people who usually have trouble with such a challenge are those who insist on visiting distant relatives six times a year and going out with friends every weekend to distant venues. If you can keep your calendar booked with activities within a few miles of home, and you are willing to be flexible with plans (e.g. cocktail hour might get postponed or cancelled on account of monsoon rains), you'll do fine with this car-free stuff. I usually go several weeks without riding in or driving a car, without trying.
Thats so true, and living/working/shopping locally is SUCH an important component to living a sustainable life! I know people who insist on driving between half a dozen different stores to do their shopping, or who choose to live/recreate dozens of miles from where home.
The challenges for me are shopping (I have critters who require 50# bags of food, etc.), running late/two many errand & too little time, and monsoons (skipping cocktails is one thing, skipping class another). I find organization and pre-planning go a long way to solving this.
The real point of my little “car free” challenge is to prove it can be done. I know SO many people who just cant imagine anyone "surviving" without a car, so heres the proof it can be done.
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