Goodbye Honda, Hello Huffy

When I was growing up, my Methodist family would sometimes give things up together – i.e. television (that’s the one that sticks out in my mind probably because it was the worst thing I could think of going without at the time).  Since then I have chosen to participate or not based mainly on my mood leading up to Ash Wednesday.  Usually I am feeling sluggish and weighed down by all the excess of the holidays so many Lenten seasons I give up sweets/sugar for the 40+ days.  It varies from year to year how hardcore I am on the matter – one year I would only buy the peanut butter ground from peanuts in front of you, I avoided ketchup (no small feat for me) and bread, and I walked around with a bottle of Listerine because gum was not allowed to pass through my lips.

I’m pretty sure I don’t really do Lent for the right reason see as it is usually to accomplish some goal like lose weight or kick a bad habit.  But I’ve learned something about myself over the years that makes Lent right up my alley.  I love a challenge.

So this year I have decided to give up my car for Lent.

I fixed my bike, purchased a Marta card, and planned out my weekly routes by bus or by foot.  I went around running all the errands I thought I might need to do over the next month or so that I wouldn’t want to/couldn’t manage left to my own devices (surprisingly kitty litter doesn’t come in small, easy to carry amounts).  I thought long and hard about where to park my car as to minimize any annoyance for my neighbors who may notice if a car is parked in a premium spot for over a month.

I woke up early this morning, not knowing exactly how long it takes to bike from my apartment to work.  My lunch in my book bag and my helmet on and I was off.

And then I remembered…I despise biking.

Not only am I not good at it and it hurts my butt, but I look like a total doofus.  First of all I have a Huffy “mountain” bike that looks like it belongs to a 12 year old.  Second, I am a nervous biker so I ride on the sidewalk, dodging shrubs and dips in the terrain but happy to be out of way of crazy Atlanta drivers.  Third, I have to get off and push at anything steeper than an ant hill because my bike has cobwebs on it from lack of use and biking muscles have atrophied.

But this doofus made it to work, early in fact, and made it home at the end of the day unscathed.  Then I ditched the bike for running shoes and took off for the running store where I am a mentor for an intermediate run group.  I ran there because I was late then ran while I was there then walked slowly home, the manpower I had to exert during the day finally catching up with me.  At home I made a huge amount of pasta and veggies, ate a huge amount of pasta and veggies, finished off a box of Samoas, and stood in a hot shower for a loooooong time.  And the whole time my cat’s sentiment was basically “Where the hell have you been??!?! Pay attention to me!  Shit, woman.  Do you know how important I am?!” (pretty sure he would be a cusser – if he talks).

Now I’m happily hoping in bed in the 9 o’clock hour, just to do it all over again tomorrow.

It’s gonna be a long 40 days…..