I was that kid, scratch that, I am that kid, who likes to earn stickers. I am just competitive. My parents taught me competition in sports and games, and for some reason I carried that over to the academic world, and into the rest of the world.
I'm always trying to do better than someone. More miles, more pounds, eating healthy, I love to achieve and I love to boast about it.
So it comes as no surprise that I have recently entered a competition with myself to see how many days I can go without driving my car. I suppose I talk about this often. But the hippie in me gets really pissed off every once in a while and decides I will no longer conform to this American life.
The oil spill got me going even more. I don't need your damn oil, I just need my pedal power.
On Earth day I listened to a program on NPR where a guy gave up his car for a year. I thought about it. Not completely possible for me; this is a somewhat rural place and public transportation sucks. But after hearing him I felt so guilty about driving my car. I'm perfectly capable of riding my bike to work, or walking to Target to pick up shampoo.
So I'm going to try better. Sure, it's about being green. But then it's also about saving money. And then it's about being healthy. But more importantly it's about taking time to slow down and enjoy life. It's about not being in a hurry anymore and noticing the smell of the flowers, the pelican diving for fish in the river, the doggie out for his morning walk, the sun rising in the East.
In the end it's about priorities and taking time to enjoy God's grand creation.
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