Car-Free Tuesdays?
25 May 2011 Leave a Comment
Tuesdays tend to be spent around the house, since my daughter Caroline doesn’t have a babysitter scheduled on this day, so we play, go to the park, tend the garden etc. Yesterday was a Tuesday and there were many events vying for my attention, all which required the use of my car. First, the MOMs Club that I recently joined (and love!) were meeting out at Grits and Groceries in Belton. Quite the haul, and there are goats which Caroline loves to feed. I talked myself out of it. 
Next up, my friend Ellen out at the Rensing Center was hosting their once monthly Live Deliberately session on READ (next month: TRAVEL). This is a much further drive and I was still debating by the afternoon whether or not to go. Finally, I thought, “I can make this a car-free day if I just decide not to go and run the few errands I need to by foot!” Caroline and I packed up the stroller and headed for the pharmacy to pick up her medicines and even stopped by the park for a ride on the swingset on the way home. My plan was also to walk to the vegetable/fruit stand near my house for ingredients for a strawberry rhubarb pie but the sun was brutal and Caroline wasn’t in the mood to go back out. Once my sister came home, I caved and drove to the market to buy strawberries, rhubarb and butter. 
Even with gas prices beginning to fall, I am still trying to drive less and walk more. Where I used to live in VA, I didn’t have a car for over a year and a half and walked or biked anywhere I needed to go, even after Caroline was born! Anderson is not as walkable, but it might just be my state of mind, and I’m trying to change that. Even making one day a week car-free will not only save gas but also slow us down a bit and have more energy to give to our small garden or playing at the park with friends who live close by. Many days of the week I trek to Clemson (25 miles round trip) so to offset the rest of the week is a short term goal of mine. AND to get back in the habit of taking the CATbus to Clemson more often. Now that I have a bike again, I will be able to get around in Clemson once I’m there more quickly. Yesterday wasn’t a fail, but rather a step in the right direction!
