Can you imagine living in a world where you roll out of bed, do your morning business, have your coffee, get ready for work, get stuck in 2 hours worth of traffic, get yelled at and have a lack of appreciation at your job, head home in 2 hours of traffic, have dinner, watch TV, sleep and then wake up only to repeat that process all over again?
Whew that was quite a mouthful but you get the point I’m trying to make.
Seriously though, can you imagine living that way? I lived it just like many Americans do and I wanted to change that.
Now here’s another question to think about.
Can you imagine living in a world where you wake up and you actually enjoy going to work? I can. I wake up, do my morning business, have breakfast, shower and get ready to go to work. But every time I walk out that door I’m excited to hop on my bike and get going.
Not only can you zip through traffic (at least here in Los Angeles) but just riding is quite an exhilarating experience! I enjoy the beauty of the morning sunrise and the smell of the pine as I blaze through the morning commute.
This is beyond the danger aspect, this is taking in the world in motion.
Because I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I had that mentality just like everyone else. I need to have a car otherwise I just won’t survive. I’m going to tell you now that that is NOT true. You can survive without a car. I’m living that lifestyle and the woman I’m dating gets by without a car as well.
I’m reading this book written by Tammy Strobel and it’s called “Simply Car-free“, check it out, it’s a pretty good read and she teaches a lot of the lifestyle and really how to get by. Especially for women.
Although Tammy’s book is more on the lifestyle of a bicyclist, rather than a motorcycle, I can totally relate to it.
Back in 2008, I spent an entire year commuting by way of bicycle. Coming from car culture, it wasn’t exactly the easiest transition, but you won’t know that you like it until you actually try for yourself! It was a great feeling to feel free. I saved money from gasoline and I burnt up calories going to and from work. It’s such a great workout and you don’t have to worry about the rising gas prices.
Now you don’t have to go by way of bicycle or even motorcycle if you don’t want to. But ask yourself, do you really need to be commuting by car?
I know a few people who live Car-free by just walking, or taking public transportation. If I don’t want to ride my bike somewhere then I’d take the bus or train. I’m already 8 months in without a car and 6 months in by way of motorcycle.
Honestly, I don’t regret getting rid of my car and I’m loving every moment on my bike, even with funky rain weather. Personally, I think people just find excuses to continue making their lives miserable instead of taking the challenge to make their lives more fulfilling. People will tell me that because they have a family, they must have a car.
While that may be true, how is it that families in places like Vietnam get by with only two wheels? That’s a little bit of an extreme example but you get what I mean. By the way, Tammy also writes about commuting by way of bicycle even if you have a family.
For a while I felt really miserable and it wasn’t until I sold my car that I felt a large weight taken off of my shoulders. I actually owned my car, but it felt so restricting and limited.
Humans are meant to be free and being dependent on a four-wheeled box will never get us there. Are you ready for your freedom?
