Baby Steps

June of 2006-it all began with a bang. Or was it a thump? Whatever the sound was, it resembled the death of Big Red, Amanda's car. Without funds to revive the car or purchase a new one, Big Red was put down and thus began the awakening of a long and interesting pedestrian journey. The beginning was painful and slow. I had been so dependant on a vehicle, that without one, I felt lost and housebound. Every part of my life had to change to accommodate a new lifestyle. Groceries had to be walked home in severely overloaded backpacks. Going for coffee with friends, meant a good half hour walk to the coffee shop. Trips to Langley to visit Mom, meant begging for her to come and pick us up. As months turned into years, we began to adjust to this slower lifestyle. We found that over time we began less consumeristic. I mean, who really wants to walk half an hour ONE WAY to get a Starbucks coffee??? We also found that we converse more. There is no radio or ipod, and our relationship has grown to reflect our never ending conversation.
Here we stand, three years later, proponents of a lifestyle long gone after the invention of the automobile and the occasional envy of our friends for the pace of life we lead and the freedom we enjoy. Instead of thinking, "How can we live our lives without a car?", we wonder why we would ever want to own one.