from BikeSkirt by Elisa
First, apologies (again) for my absence in posting. Things are so busy with work and Bici that when I get home I have nothing left in me to write. I do miss you all, and am hopeful that things slow down soon.
Last week, I celebrated 2 big days…my 31st Birthday and my one year anniversary of being car free! It was any other day…riding around to meetings and friends houses. Nothing special about the day, in fact it practically came and went before I remembered.
What has being car free taught me?
That my friends rock. When it rains, when I need a ride home from the Greyhound station, when I need to borrow a car to head to a conference 2 hours away…they always show up. It is amazing.
That Birmingham’s public transport really does suck. In one year I have yet to take it. The reason? I can’t figure the damn thing out! The maps are all separate and trying to get from one end of town to the next takes hours and multiple bus transfers (on a less than timely bus “schedule”). For those people who don’t even have bikes, I am not sure how they do it.
That the hottest summer in history makes for a lot of sweaty meetings. Seriously, I spent most of the summer wiping sweat from my brow while talking to people about food security!
That I can eat as much food and drink as much beer as I want and not worry. Sure, I have gained some weight, but I still look the same (muscle weight, baby!) and feel great.
That your gas costs go down, but your food intake goes WAY up. I eat so much food.
That I am not sure I ever want a car!!
Thanks everyone for all of your support. This year has been great and terrible and I never regret selling my car. Freedom!!!
https://bikeskirt.com/2010/08/31/one-year-car-free/oldId.20100901170726606