I'm giving up my car for a month!!

I love the convenience of driving my own car.  My 2000 Honda Civic has been there for me for the past 7 years.  It takes me to places whenever I want.  My trunk has become my mobile garden tool shed.  It gives me a space to think quietly or sing my heart out.  For the most part, it keeps me warm and dry.  It gives me a sense of security, perhaps a false sense of security, like I'm safe and protected in a shield made of impenetrable metal.

 So, why on earth do I want to give up driving my car?, you may ask.   Here are some of the reasons:

• Cost of owning a car - first comes the car payments.  Then periodical car maintenance: sometimes small, sometimes BIG.  Ever rising gas price.  Auto insurance. etc. etc.
• Environmental implications - learning about Peak Oil made me want to somehow decrease my dependence on oil.  I didn't want to freak out and not know what to do when the gas price hits 15, 20, 50 dollars per gallon. 

 These are all good-sounding reasons, right?  So what kept me from going car-free all these years?  Well, because I felt like having a car was a necessity.  I commute from Seattle to Bellevue every day.  My job requires me to go to different places for meetings at times.  When I was without a car for the first 7 years of my life in the U.S., I was often tired, cranky, and stressed.  I experienced harassment on the bus or at bus stops.  Bus system kind of sucks between Seattle and the eastside during off-peak hours.  Understand my hesitation now?

Then something special happened.  I entered and got selected to be the participant of the Zipcar Low-Car Diet Seattle!!  It means that I agree to give up driving my car for a month starting September 14th.  I will either walk, bike, use public transportation, carpool or use a Zipcar if I absolutely need to drive to get to places.

Excited?  Yes.  Anxious?  Oh Yes.