I’ve spent portions of the past two days changing the rear struts on my car. Yesterday, the passenger side changed without a problem, which was awesome, but I hit a snag on the driver’s side when one of the lug bolts wouldn’t come off. I knew it was going to sheer off, and it did, but I had an extra lug bolt from the last time this happened to me, and it turns out they are much easier to change on the rear wheels than on the front. Anyway, snag number 2 was that the sway bar link for the rear driver’s side stripped out, so I had to walk to the parts store to get another one.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been taking walks in the morning, so it was funny to go for a walk and turn around and go for another walk. But I got what I needed, even if I think they overcharged me. Man, suspension parts are so much cheaper online, but it only matters if you have time to burn waiting for the delivery. I treated myself to a restaurant for dinner when all was finished, and I very nearly walked there, too, but I was too excited to test how different my car would handle speed bumps and OH MY GOODNESS those struts needed to be changed. It handles way better now.
But this really got me thinking about car usage and foot power. I live within walking distance of a major grocery store chain. I live within walking distance of several restaurants. I live within walking distance of a clothing store, and a bank. It’s about a 10 minute walk to the nearest convenience store. The gym is a bit farther, but it’s funny to complain about having to walk longer to get there, and there’s an interesting shopping center I still haven’t explored that is closer than that. I live within walking distance of a mailing center, too. Don’t get me started on how many churches are within walking distance. As much as I make fun of suburbia…dang, this is a pretty good setup.
I have to ask myself…why am I not walking to these places? There was a time in my old apartment when I was really loving the exploration of walking. Whatever happened to that excitement? But now that I’m working from home instead of enduring that awful commute every morning, I really have to ask myself if spending all this time walking wouldn’t be amazing.
It’s sad, I think, how little we ever really see of our own neighborhoods.
I’m not the sort of person to go wholly car-less, but I kind of love the idea of challenging myself to drive less. Partly, I just have a rather frequent itch to get out of the house, and driving can be great for that purpose. But with so much available by foot, why do I need to drive so much? And if another grocery store is the only place that sells what I want, there are typically delivery services for that.
Oh, sure. I suppose it will be dark and scary in the winter, but even that could be a fun experience instead: to see the sunset while you walk, or enjoy the crisp cold of Autumn. But to push ourselves, to experience life not so stoically behind the glass – I wonder if that’s something I really need in my life.