If you have the time. I have had that sticker on my door, placed so I can see it on my way out. EVERYWHERE IS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE, IF YOU HAVE THE TIME. It makes me smile, mostly at myself, for I, often, don't make the time and then see it as I am rushing out the door, too late to even take the trolley, let alone walk. Still over the 4 or 5 years its been there I have steadily increased the umber of places I walk to, while lessening, or consolidating the ones I drive to.
Of course, the fact that one of our daughters has one of our cars in North Carolina for the summer and the other was stolen, badly damaged and in the shop for a while, helped move me a little more quickly in this direction, rather than at the snails pace I had previously maintained. I have the hardest time when it comes to my children, two of them are still living at home- though not for long. We will be experiencing the proverbial empty nest in less than a year.
My seventeen year old takes public transportation to and from school everyday, but gets a ride with neighbors to the trolley tunnel about 10 blocks away, a good half hour earlier than she needs to, so that she can ride in with her friends. On days when that doesn't work out, I drive her the 10 blocks. Although this goes against, my principles, since she could catch the trolley just 2 blocks from our house, this is both what she is accustomed to and an opportunity to spend a few minutes with her alone which I almost never get otherwise. Occaisionally I will even drive her all the way to school, just to get to be with her and talk a bit. These times have been precious, often allowing her to open up and share a troubling concern and even tears. So I put up with the incongruency- knowing she wil be gone all too soon.
On the days that she does require a lift from me, she is often running late and comes bounding down the stairs calling out, "Mom, can ou give me a ride to the trolley?" School was still in session for the 2 weeks when we had no car at all. One morning she came bounding down the satirs and started in on her usual, Mom, can you.." then there was a 2 second pause, then "quickly borrow a car and drive me to the trolley?" I laughed in estonishment. Told her to call our neighbors to see if theirs was avialable. No go. I then called some other neighbors about a block away. There college-age son was home and his jalopy was available. So we high-tailed it over there and I drove her-all the way to school!
Not only does remembering and retelling this incident make me laugh, or smile to myself- it has taught me a valuable lesson. There are enough cars in our neighborhood among our friends that we could probably get along without any car at all and certainly don't need two! My husband and I don't see eye-to-eye on this yet, but I can tell a change is coming; one that involves, at least one fewer car and more walking!
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