WHAT COULD YOU LIVE WITHOUT – EVEN FOR A SEASON?

WHAT COULD YOU LIVE WITHOUT – EVEN FOR A SEASON?

So, I decided to do a little experiment over the summer that got me thinking. Living the suburban lifestyle means that I’ve chosen to trade proximity to buildings for proximity to nature – and so, it’s not unusual for most suburb dwellers to find ourselves in the car on a regular basis to get to where we need to go. And yet, I wanted to discover what most people I know couldn’t imagine doing - going without a car for the entire summer! The timing was perfect - my car lease expired at the end of May, I would be a full time mom to my two kids during the summer school break, we’d be doing the family vacation thing for at least a few weeks of the summer and I was on the ParticipAction Walk or Wheel Campaign bandwagon – so I was ready. Now, I still had access to my husband’s commuter car when he was home but I challenged myself to use it minimally and adopt a new strategy for entertaining my kids over the summer. I coined it “the summer where we return to simplicity”. I imagined myself using my home as I would a cottage…you get there and you stay…you go into town only when you need to…you stock up…you enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Could it be done in the burbs? The first step was getting my kids on board – we’d be walking or biking just about everywhere we wanted to go and we would be on the move! While there were a few grumbles as they got used to it, soon they knew no other way and it was a non-issue. We chose programs and activities all within walking or biking distance and discovered some amazing gems in our own backyard! We spent more time together – enjoying the journey – and less time focused on the destination! My 6 year old was biking 5-10 km with ease while I enjoyed my own workout pulling my 4 year old in the bike trailer. We hit every local park…we had lots of playdates with friends in the neighbourhood, the kids took tennis lessons, soccer, skateboarding…we burned calories to get to the ice cream store…we bird watched, splashed, drew incredible chalk mazes on the driveway – we laughed and most of all, we loved the freedom. Isn’t it ironic that by giving something up we were able to get more freedom in return? So…it got me thinking that once in a while I think it’s good to break out of the norm…change up something from your routine and get a fresh new perspective. What could you live without – even for a season? Try it and see what you discover!