Nearly October

I'm loving the cool weather, and starting to reflect a little on my Whoa!Car month. Overall, it was easier than expected, although I am currently fighting a nasty cold and cough, the one thing I really hoped wouldn't happen. It's not so bad, though. It helps me prioritize what I REALLY have to do, so I've opted out of a few things I would usually have done, which frees up a little time in my day.

One result of this challenge has been the luxury of telling Ian that he HAS to do the driving--I can't! Still, our total car journeys/mileage are WAY down for the month. We haven't bought gas in September, for example, and the gauge is still well over 1/4 full; and the car didn't leave the house at all on 16 days so far. When it did leave, it was virtually always a carpool, to soccer or band or show choir or the homecoming dance. We are certainly finding ourselves up against societal expectations, though. It is clear that everyone just assumes that each kid at Rock Bridge will have their own car, so planning schedules to make catching the bus work, for example, just doesn't happen. I think this is a terrible situation for many reasons--the expense to families, the way kids whose families can't afford an extra car just can't do extra stuff, and most of all, the idea that we are creating an environment where parents actually WANT their children to be driving everywhere, despite the terrible toll car crashes, not to mention inactivity, take on American teens.

I am finding it really wonderful to turn to my bike first. Now that I'm not giving myself the option of driving to work, I don't have to weigh the pros and cons each morning. The rain has been a little hassle, but not too bad. I have driven 3 times this month, and the truth was, I didn't enjoy it much. It felt a little weird. But I'm sure I will be back to more driving as winter arrives--it's not the weather so much, but I do find the short daylight hours to be a problem.

I heard Gina on the radio Monday saying that over 150 people are signed up for one of the challenges. I think that's really incredible. I sometimes see people out walking and biking and wonder who might be a NCLCWC challenger!

I have had no trouble at all using my card as a bus pass, and hope to make it to Walt's tomorrow to take advantage of the discount on a few items, like a new helmet and gloves. Maybe I'll run into someone else flashing a pink card there.