Pretending Not to Have a Car

I live in a town where you can bike to everything. Literally. I can bike to the co-op, the movie theater, Luther College, the library, the local sports bar (although, we generally tend to walk there…), and so on.

The thing is… I have a car. A cute, green, 11-year-old Toyota Echo named Elmer. We’ve spent a lot of time together. So it is quite natural for me to get in the car when I need to go somewhere.

Today (after passing the AdWords Fundamentals Exam – yay!), I needed to drop something off at the bank and run to the co-op. I had a decent-sized list (filled up an entire yellow sticky note), so I wondered if maybe I should take the car.

However, the weather was just right and I skipped my workout this morning. I made a decision: From now on, I’m going to pretend I don’t have a car.

So I grabbed my pannier/grocery bag, attached it to my bike, and took off. I went to the bank first. The ride there was windy and warmish and felt like the perfect blustery fall afternoon (Pooh would agree). I could feel my mood elevate by the minute.

Next stop was the local bicycle store for another pannier (so I can’t use the “too many groceries” excuse). I took the scenic route via the gorgeous trail along the Upper Iowa River and through the campground, where lunch fires were still smoking. At one point, there was a slight drizzle of almost-rain. Aaahhhh… I felt strong and energetic. Why did I even think about taking the car?

Sadly, the bike store no longer stocked my pannier. But they could special order! OK. I’ll figure the groceries out…

On to the co-op (one of my favorite spots in town)! I used my lone bag as my shopping basket to make sure everything would fit. A bag of pre-washed lettuce had to make way for brown rice cakes (can’t live without these at the moment) and I decided to come back for eggs another day. No big deal. After a slight delay caused by a failed attempt to find “kombu,” I was on my way again.

Once home, I put my bike up and walked in the door happier and healthier.

Just by pretending.