AmyKossBlogThang: Car-free in LA!

AmyKossBlogThang: Car-free in LA!: P erhaps you recall that a mid- size  car inserted itself up the butt of my 15  year  old van several months ago, totalling it.  Well,...

Car-free in LA!

Perhaps you recall that a mid-size car inserted itself up the butt of my 15 year old van several months ago, totalling it. 

Well, I still haven't replaced that van which I suspect indicates some hesitancy on my part, so I'm taking this opportunity to examine my reluctance. Do feel free to click away if deep psychological exploration makes you squeamish.

For one I'm pretty sure it's not the paper work as my attacker's insurance paid up nominally but promptly. 

And it's not just that I've been slogging forth and back from Michigan to California too much to focus. 

It's not just dread of talking to glad-handy car sales people. 

Or the scraping up and forking over of the dough.

I think what stops me from going out and at least looking at a car or two, is that this car-lessness is so liberating. 

I can't / don't have to / do anything. There's only the wonkiest public transport in and out of my canyon, (not that I've actually checked...) So I'm stuck. 

And if I can't go anywhere, then there's no need to put on a bra or shoes. No need to bathe. No need put down the book, or get off facebook, or get out of bed. No need to be public and civil. 

And my carbon footprint is negligible!

I do occasionally stumble out into the world and stand blinking at all the activity. 

WHOOSH! Traffic! Lights!

Cheerful waitresses with lots of teeth who politely ignore my bathrobe and moose-slippers. 

Friends fetch me and take me out for an airing, but not too often. And I assume that the longer I shun the toothbrush & shower the less frequently that will occur.  

My husband, loyal and true, brings in food & takes out trash.

The to-be-read pile next to the bed grows shorter. 

The dogs and I commune. 

Rain helps. None of us want wet paws.

My sympathizers assume it's all because I've had a beastly year, and am on the mend. 

But really, I've always suspected I'd make a great invalid if given the chance.  

And now, thanks to that young woman probably texting while driving, I have the wonderful luxury of feeling that none of this is my fault.  

xo Amy