Not in terms of personal betterment, mind you, but in terms of accepting responsibility.
You see, I’m exchanging the freedom and independence of my automobile for the inconvenience and aggravation of public transportation. This sounds like a totally hare-brained endeavor, of course, and will be a gigantic nuisance, but it needs to be done. My dear old car’s in desperate need of repair. Many repairs. So many costly and numerous repairs — springs and ball joints, transmission and oil leaks — that I’d spend considerably more on parts and labor than the car is actually worth.
So …
Instead of letting this discourage me into a lasting depression, I’ve decided to look at my situation as a noble sacrifice. I’m not giving up the luxurious freedom my car provides because I’m poor. No, I’m surrendering my personal ease and comfort to help the planet survive. We’re in dire trouble, earthlings. Australia is on fire. The oceans are rising. And the climate is changing, drastically, whether the idiots in government are willing to admit it or not.
Me taking the bus won’t change anything, I know, but I’ll feel as though I’m making an effort. And that’s exactly what I plan to tell myself when I’m standing in the freezing cold and the blazing sun, the driving rain and ferocious wind waiting for a slow, lumbering bus to arrive and carry me away. I’ll hold my head up high knowing I, a poor person, am making a sincere and worthwhile contribution to the planet. If nothing else, I’ll get some good stories out of this. Bus riding is fraught with adventure and unusual characters.
And you know what? Pride is better than despair any day of the week. Right? Of course, I’m right. Please tell me I’m right.
copyright © 2020 the whirly girl
the whirly girl 
16 responses to “: stepping up :”
I look forward to some of your bus tales. There is a blogger who posts about being on a bus all the time. I have to look him up. He always had some good stories. If I lived in town I would have access to the bus and subway and streetcars. Like most people in Toronto I wouldn’t even have to own a car. No insurance payments, no car payments, no renewing my plates or my drivers licence. No maintenance bills and no gas station receipts! I would be rich! My car is a discontinued model so it is really hard to get parts. My windshield is massively cracked, one headlight is gone, my tires are bald, and the air does not work. Other than that it runs like a dream…ok, maybe a nightmare. I work out in the boonies with no other way to get there so when the car goes, so does the job. Is it wrong to be jealous that you can take the bus?
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There’s no perfect answer, is there? I like the convenience of having a car — the radio and temperature control and my own schedule — but maybe a bit more money will make it bearable. Who knows. You and I need to team up, laugh our way through these weird, frustrating times 🤜🤛
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Heheheheh…sounds like a plan.
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Deal🤜🤛
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Been carless – not careless, didn’t lose it, sold it! – for several years now. Mind you, it helps that over a certain age in the UK you get a free bus pass …
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Yay, you! I took the bus to the grocery this afternoon and it was a breeze. I learned one valuable lesson: beverages (oj, milk, coca-cola) are heavy, clumsy things. Stop drinking them.
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Yeah, my missus refuses to buy that stuff, says she’s not carrying water home! They should sell them in powder form so you can add your own water …
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I’m with her all the way!
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Don’t believe your taking the bus won’t change anything. You are encouraging others to give up the car, proudly, in a public forum. If nothing else you will make the rest of us feel just a teensy bit guilty. And that has to be a good thing.
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How do you always know the perfect thing to say? Thank you for the encouragement❣️
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I’ve done the bus thing a number of years in my life. It never bothered me a bit.
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That’s so good to hear! The only concern I really have is: it’s winter‼️ And early winter at that. When it comes to the cold, I’m a great, big sissy 🥶
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great move –
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Thanks❣️ I’m looking forward to it and dreading it, all at the same time. If it wasn’t January I’d probably be more enthusiastic about the sudden turn of events. Even so, this could be fun.
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You’re right. You’re also right about those ideas for stories. Don’t leave home without your notebook, but you already knew that. This is exciting already! 😬🚌 🦹♂️🚎 🦸🚌 👩✈️🚎 🧑🎤
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I may be entering a new and hilarious stage of life! I’ll still miss the car, though. It was such a good and faithful companion 😢
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