I recently had the opportunity to make a new friendship with a lady who lives locally. We had exchanged some chatty emails, getting to know one another. She liked to hike, kayak and be outdoors, so I saw the potential of having a fun companion this summer. She said she was from Detroit. Detroit - - where the heartbeat and history of the city is, in part, CARS. Cars are their pride and soul. Something akin to someone who is from Texas. They are proud to be from the Great Land of Texas... and hey, "Don't Mess With Texas!" as the quote goes. If you took cars out of Detroit and their history....where would it be? Just another quiet Midwestern city....She was surprised that I was a native Washingtonian (yes, there aren't many of us around here!). In the process of sharing information, I mentioned that I had gone car-free a couple of years ago...that it had started out as an "experimental idea" but it had worked well for me, so I had continued. I shared how I bike to work, and use my bike, subway, bus, Amtrak, Zipcars, and Enterprise rental cars in going places near and far.
As you've read from previous posts here, some people don't have a very good reaction upon hearing that I don't have car. They think "How in the world can you live without a car?? I couldn't possibly!!" They see it as LIMITING their life, whereas I see it as a FREEING experience. It's like it's their God-given RIGHT to own and drive a car - and by God, you aren't gonna take that away from me! Living car-free is not for everyone, but it can work for a lot of people, if they want it to. This lady had a slight old back injury, and hadn't biked since college, because the bumps while biking hurt her back, and I can understand that. I did mention that some people who have back problems sometimes can resolve it by riding a recumbent or trike....
Needless to say, my being car-free "threw her for a loop" and she declined my friendship. I was a bit hurt and sorry to hear this. I mean, it kind of makes you feel like you're not GOOD ENOUGH. Yes, I know, trying to get together with my friends sometimes can be difficult because I don't have car, but I try to work around it and still get together with them. It's NOT impossible.
So, I was sorry to have missed out on a new friendship...but everything happens for a reason, and you move on in life....whether you move onward in a car, or on a bike....
