Let me count the “Losses”:
1. Independence – You’ve heard of Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs? The basic level starts with our Physiological Needs, the literal requirements for human survival. They include the following:
- Breathing
- Food
- Homeostasis
- Sex
- AND Driving
Depending on friends and family to take you everywhere is like getting people to breathe and eat for you — at least it feels that way to me on Day 35 of Vehicle-less in Suburbia.
2. Time – They say that you should give busy people your critical tasks to do because they’re the ones most likely to get things done, but probably not if they have to spend 2-3 hours a day arranging one, two, or three different drivers every single day.
3. Shopping – Retail therapy is out of the picture. I can ride my bike to the bank and to pay my water bill, but eggs will break, ice cream will melt, and who needs more clothes when your outings are somewhat limited.
4. Favor-Power – Stick with me on this one; I just made it up. So there is this Circle of Reciprocity, but it’ll be a long, long, long time before my friends are going to “owe” me. That, of course, is why I need to get enough dough to throw the greatest shindig ever planned resulting from Internet Wealth.
5. Esteem – Remember Maslow’s hierarchy? Well it used to have “Esteem” as the penultimate level, but that’s been replaced by a revised pyramid. Good thing[!] because if you don’t drive these days [and you’re not living in NYC or SF or other large city], people do think something must be wrong with you, i.e., drugs, alcohol, vehicular manslaughter, texting on your cell phone.
6. Activities – Waaaah, it’s really hard to “use up” one of my favor tokens to get a ride to my health club for yoga, spin, and swimming; I know, I can ride my bike and play in the sprinkler. [We finally got HOT 3-digit temperatures in the Bay Area.]
7. Privacy – Of course, you have to explain your disability-story over & over & over — or you can keep really private by staying home to garden, play the sax, watercolor and wait for the “Lifting of the Ban.”
8. Sleep – We’ve come full circle, so I’m going to soak in a hot tub and nap for hours. [Good thing I wrote this. My bath water was running and I would have had a mess to dry up. Ever happen to you? It has to me, but that’s a story for a different day — unless someone asks in a comment, hint, hint] 🙂
** Apparently the full moon can disrupt our sleep patterns. It’s a good outside excuse even though Reuters disputes the theory.
*** Thanks to Day 17 Driver du Jour, Joe Ranno, for the witticism “vehicle-interruptus.” He’s got lots more and we’ll do a whole skit with him later on this blog.
PS My wonderful friend Deborah picked me up for the second round trip this morning, right on time.
PPS Don’t you just hate it when someone says to you “It’s All Good!” It just plain “Is NOT all good,” but I have determined some bennies [i.e., benefits] which I’ll be sharing Down The Road.
Love to hear what you think might be the greatest perks from not driving.
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