Simple Suggestion #191... Lose a vehicle (more than 10 good reasons to...)

Here's a suggestion for the more hardcore city-dwelling simplicity seekers among us -- although we've done it, and I don't really consider us to be hardcore...

We North Americans are so reliant on our cars, trucks, SUVs, etc... that it's rare for us to stop and think about how much they complicate our lives. How much of our money and life energy do we spend on gas, insurance, registration, maintenance, repairs, and parking each year? And how often do we find ourselves driving from one event to the next with barely a chance to breathe between trips, simply because we can?

We can, but should we?

Now that I think about it, there have been many benefits to being a single vehicle family:

1. We've had a less hectic life because we can't head off in all directions all the time.
2. We communicate more about our comings and goings, activities, appointments and our lives in general.
3. We've relied more on less carbon-consumptive mass transit (read: saved fossil fuels).
4. Over-scheduling has vanished as we've been forced to choose fewer activities, but ones that mean more to us.
5. Our girls have learned independence when it comes to getting around by bike or bus (my hubby and I catch the bus more now, too).
6. We've connected more often with friends and family regarding carpooling possibilities.
7. We've gotten to know some of our neighbours at the bus stop.
8. On the social justice side of things, by choosing alternative methods of transportation, we live more in solidarity with those in our world who will never afford a vehicle.
9. Perhaps most importantly in this world of climate-change-induced-wacky-weather, we're cutting our vehicular carbon emissions in half.
10. There's more time to think about life as we walk from one place to another, and to read books/study on the bus.

Losing/giving up a vehicle might seem hardcore to the average North American who has a hectic life that requires more than one, but really, it's not. Hardcore is what I would like to be (except for those days when I have an appointment that's difficult to reach by bus -- I'll admit it, I'm a wuss). Hardcore means not having a vehicle at all, and I know quite a few folks who live car-less. Hardcore in their case means they're less rushed and more relaxed about life because they know that they and their families don't have to be everywhere or do everything. They know it's okay to just BE.

After all, life should be more than driving yourself from one thing to the next. Don't you think?

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Click here.

A mini-van mom no more

I have to give my hubby credit. When he decides to do something, no grass grows under his feet. Yesterday, he decided that it was time to put our minivan up for sale on Kijiji. He enlisted the girls' help to clean it up, took pictures, decided on a fair price, and posted it. The phone rang all evening last night, and Lee agreed to meet with one of several prospective buyers early this evening. The buyer brought cash, and the sale is final.

I was a little emotional, watching Clyde (as we called it -- our remaining vehicle, a little Hyundai Accent, is known as Bonnie) drive away with a new owner. It's the end of an era. Clyde took my little ones (now big ones) and me many, many miles. But I'm not too emotional, because at the same time, I'm seeing the realization of a dream I've had since embracing Voluntary Simplicity: we are now a single vehicle family. Our girls are of an age where they can handle taking city buses most of the places they need to go, and I am committed to doing the same, and, hopefully, walking to work once these dizzies are under control. When we run up against needing to be two or three places at a time, we'll just have to get creative -- busing, riding bikes, or catching cabs. You can take taxis quite a few times for what we paid yearly in insurance, gas, and maintenance on Clyde. (Though Lee was really ticked tonight when he called to cancel the insurance, and instead of giving us a refund, the company actually charged us an additional $73/annum for insurance on Bonnie, being that it's our only vehicle and now at "higher risk." We're looking for a new insurance provider...)

To be honest, I never really considered myself to be your typical mini-van mom because we aren't the types of parents who have our girls in too many extra-curricular activities. It's not like we lived in our vehicle. Our "passionate cranberry" Dodge caravan was helpful for those years that I was an after-school care provider, but beyond that, I wasn't driving soccer teams around or anything. I haven't been a mini-van mom in the last year for sure, simply because I haven't been able to drive. At L'Arche, Thomas doesn't even ask about the van anymore. "You catch the bus?" he enquires.

I feel a little lighter already, knowing that our family's carbon emissions have come down another big notch! Bye, Clyde. Thanks for many years of good service. I hope the new owner appreciates you as much as I did.