Mile by Mile - Along For The Ride

A cool, Spring feeling is in the air.  We made three trips by bike this week.  It's good to be riding the bike.  Good to get my heart rate up, good to be moving fast, good to get back into a non- car mode.  Our bag of change is much lighter after a cold winter of feeding meters downtown and it's time to put the car keys aside and put on our helmets.

I was looking back at my first Mile by Mile post, on my old blog, thinking about why I originally wanted to trade my car for my bike.  One idea that really struck me was that I choose - mile by mile - how I arrive at my destination.  I don't want to get in the car just as a force of habit, but because I had  made a conscious decision.

In the last year, as I drove less, I began to question the trips I did make by car. Did I really need to run this errand?  Could I find what I needed at a closer store - a store I could walk or bike to?  Could I postpone or eliminate the trip all together?

Now, instead of driving to Target, I pick up what we need at CVS, on our way (walking) to the library.  I trawl the aisles of our crazy, random craft store downtown, instead of a long drive to Michael's.   Instead of a quick trip (in the car) to the grocery store to pick up a missing ingredient for dinner, I substitute and improvise.

It is exciting and liberating to leave my car at home.  It is good for my health and good for my time.  It's good for my pocketbook and good for the environment.  It's good for my soul.

And so I wanted to ask...Do you want to come along for the ride? Leave the keys and take a bus, take a walk, a scooter, skip or stroll?  Or stay outside instead of running errands?

Spring, and change, is in the air.  The world holds so many possibilities.  Let's leave our cars at home.