I have been working my way gradually into a more minimalist lifestyle for many years. This usually takes the form of small personal experiments. I ask myself, "Can I live without this?" Or "What if I changed this habit?" Then after some trial and error, I weigh out the pros and cons and decide if it is a step toward my minimalist ideal.
It sometimes takes a little reflection to decide if a change benefits my overarching goal or adds unnecessary complication to my life. If the experiment works well, great! If not, meh, it was worth a shot right? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Past experiments have included not replacing my rarely used hair dryer when it finally bit the dust after more than ten years of service. (I've barely noticed this change.) I've experimented with simplifying favorite recipes to get them down to only the most important or in-season ingredients. (This experiment is well worth the effort in my opinion.) I've made many other tiny tweaks to my everyday life, which add up to a carefully edited daily existence moving toward Minimalism with tiny deliberate steps.
The experiment I plan to implement next is to bike or walk to work for the next two weeks. To many of you, I'm sure that this will seem like no major undertaking. Especially when you learn that my work is just 0.7 miles away from our apartment.
However, I must explain that I am very much a foul-weather-wimp. Living in the northern Midwest, we experience all sorts of strange weather, often without any notice at all. And I really dislike arriving at work disheveled, sweaty, damp or uncomfortable in any way.
It just seems like a terrible way to start any day, especially when I interact with a lot of people throughout the day who would have to put up with a sweaty, gross me. This just isn't the kind of appearance that I wish to share with others.
I feel I must add that my tough and athletic spouse puts me to absolute shame on this front. He not only bikes to work semi-regularly but will do so in almost any weather conditions and his employer is quite a bit farther away from home. Hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk? He'll bike it. Cold enough to shut down most schools? He'll bike it. Raining cats and dogs? He'll bike it. Need to bike through a neighborhood of questionable safety in order to reach work? He'll bike it. I am so impressed by this. I'll ask him to write a little about his experiences as a bike-work-commuter for you all.
But in the meantime, here is my modest experiment. This week I plan to suck it up! I feel strongly that using my car less in general is a step in the right minimalist direction. It means a smaller carbon footprint and an act of care for our planet. It saves money in the form of gasoline and wear-and-tear on my vehicle. It improves my own health and wellbeing through healthy activity. In addition, it is a move toward a future life as a one-car household or maybe even a no-car household at some point.
I'm taking it pretty easy on myself for this experiment. First off, I'm not starting this experiment in January or February when I know that several inches of snow/sleet or even rogue sheets of ice and risking serious falls wouldn't be unusual. Instead, I'm starting this experiment in early May.
Early May around here is typically about as good as Midwestern weather ever gets. A bit rainy. Sometimes unpredictably cool or warm but generally as mild as can be hoped for. This next week is predicted to be in the 40's/50's Fahrenheit and quite rainy/windy. So not perfect walking/biking weather, but definitely a far-cry from risking either frostbite or heatstroke.
I'm also giving myself an excuse to drive rather than walk/bike under one particular instance: if I know that I will need my car for a work-related activity. For instance, if I know that I will need to attend a work related meeting across town, I will drive to work that day. I don't have coworkers I can carpool with and public transportation in our area leaves a lot to be desired. So a car is a necessity for instances like this.
However, I will grant myself no other excuses. This means I'll have to get up an extra 20 minutes early. I'll have to make sure that I pack a lunch because I won't be able to drive somewhere to get food if I forget to plan ahead. I'll additionally have to plan for any odd weather that might blowup without notice in the form of umbrella, raincoat, extra sweater, water resistant walking shoes, etc.
Maybe I should stash an extra bar of deodorant in my work desk this week? Hmmm...
I'll let you know how the experiment pans-out in a future post. In the meantime, do you ever walk/bike to work? Any advice for someone new to the experience?
- L
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