20 Days Without A Car in Suburbia

We experimented.  

20 days. 

I could totally do this, I triumphantly declared on Day 1. 

On Day 2, I was checking Hotwire and Relay Rides for good rental car deals.

You know, every time you attempt to do something out of your comfort zone, expect it to feel so incredibly hard you'll want to give up. Just cut yourself some slack ahead of time and expect it. And know that you won't see the benefits of being outside your comfort zone for a least a few days, so hang in there.

So, I didn't rent a car on Day 2, and now it's Day 9, and I'm still alive. 

If you did this, how would your life change? Does this excite you or just freak you out a little?

Here are 5 things that have changed for me so far:

1. I shop more often, but buy way less each time. I mean, everything had to fit in the backpack or the stroller basket. And for now, it helps me pretend I live in Europe, where people live like this all the time. I'll even buy a baguette tomorrow, just to really feel the part.

2. I have to leave the house earlier, because it takes me longer to get to my destination. The beach is 15 minutes from our AirBnb in San Diego. On public transportation, it takes me over an hour to get there.

3. I have to really plan around naptime. I can't zoom out for a quick jaunt then head back to get the kids down. There is no zooming on public transportation when you have to make a connection between the city bus and the trolley. I normally go out after naptimes.

4. I get way more exercise on accident. Now, that alone is worth the experiment.

5. The kids get to be a part of the city is a new way. They know where the sidewalks get uneven, they ask about the different vegetation they see, they hide special stones along the walk and then check to see if they're there the next day, all things they don't get to do while strapped into the sterile, air conditioned bubble of our Odyssey's backseat.