Acapella

Traveling in Europe I'm always reminded of just how dependent I am on our car. I use it for almost every errand I have to run, from picking up groceries to going to the post office. If I stop and think about why I drive everywhere the answer is always one of pure laziness. Why would I walk or take public transport if I can hope in the car and be there in minutes? Across Europe people rely on buses, trains, bikes, and their own two feet. I realize that many people do own cars and drive too but there are far fewer than in America.

 Throughout the past few days whenever we would walk around Freising or Munich or hop on and off trains I often thought about my first years in Chicago without a car. I biked, walked, or took the CTA everywhere. Running errands such as picking up groceries became something I planned out since i would have to carry it all home. Other times I'd develop a game plan and make a day out of running all my errands. There's be lunch, dinner, or drinks (and sometimes all three) with friends. At the time I was also single and though I was living the city life. How much more urban could I get? I was a city guy!

When I met Adam I also met his beloved Bonita, or for those of you that never met her, his Honda Civic. Suddenly we were driving everywhere and I was spending less and less time on public transport or my bike. I can't tell you exactly when it happened but as I have a tendency to lean towards extreme laziness as I get older I just started driving everywhere and it remains that way to this day. I've made attempts to be less reliant on our car, especially with the price of gas but I still find myself trending back to it often for almost all my errands. I am however, in need of a new bike and maybe this will be the motivation I need to get out there and be more mobile without using the car.