Crazy Saturday

I will never take having a vehicle for granted again. I'm serious. When I go back to the US, I'm going to be thankful for a car every day.

Most days I really enjoy my lifestyle as a pedestrian. It's exercise built into my everyday schedule. Mile and a half round trip to work everyday. Two mile (or more) round trip on small group Tuesdays. Extra mile and a half on days when I have to meet the repairman at my flat - which, by the way, seems to happen really frequently. This doesn't even take into account going to church (1.5 mi), going to someones house (between .5 and 2 mi), or going to the store.

In general I also enjoy walking. It gives me a chance to think and enjoy the sound of the birds, or the beauty of the blooming flowers, or to say "hello" to those that I pass by. It feels good and helps relieve stress. However, there is a down-side.

The amount you can carry. For me, that's normally two bags - one for each hand - with both bulk and weight playing a factor.

Today, I made five trips to town. Now fortunately, the town center is only a few blocks away, so it's not like I over-exerted and killed myself walking in, but five?

And it was insane!! I mean, Walmart the day after Thanksgiving insane. And I had to keep going into the fray.

So, here are the benefits of a car:
1. It holds lots of stuff.
2. If you put things into your car because your hands are full, you can go back into the store without having the mental block of having to completely leave home again.
3. It holds lots of stuff.
4. It will hold an entire grocery cart full of stuff.
5. It holds lots of stuff.

Now, I'm not saying that I want a car right now. In fact, it would be a little annoying to have to learn how to drive on the left side of the narrow streets at this point. And then there are the difficulties of finding parking. Plus, it's actually faster to walk some places because you can take footpaths. So, for now, I am perfectly content to continue on foot.

But, when I return home, I intend to take full advantage of the benefits (i.e. holding lots of stuff) that a car can offer on a shopping excursion.