why we take the cta...

I took that quick snap yesterday with my point and shoot camera, thinking it might end up being my photo of the day.... however, I ended up taking more photos later when we got home. This may still end up being my photo of the day.... but I decided it was a good springboard for another long rambling post, so here goes...

We take the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority - public transportation) nearly everywhere we go around the city. I know there are several people out there who question my sanity because of this, so I thought I would throw out my reasons as to why we do this.

1. First and foremost, I hate to drive. I always have, and chances are, I always will. I was in a bad car accident on the way to school when I was 14. The driver of the car (a 17 year old friend), really didn't do anything wrong... just tried to dodge a squirrel that ran out into the road in front of us. He swerved, like a lot of us would have, and flipped the car into a ditch... I ended up in the hospital for a month, with several months of outpatient therapy after that. That scared me... not how you might think it would though. It didn't make me not want to ride with other people.... it scared me in the way that I really didn't want to be responsible for the safety of someone else. For some reason, it never occurred to me to be upset with him or blame him for what happened.... but he lived with a guilt over the whole thing for several years. That's what had the biggest impact on me. I just didn't want that responsibility. So, when at 23, I decided to pack up and move to Chicago... a place where I could get around without needing a car... I went for it.

2. Taking the CTA makes me really think about our activities. Given that we walk or take the bus or train everywhere... I've got to think about our day to day logistics. This has helped keep our schedule in check. When we lived in Texas and I drove ALL of the time... this didn't always happen. I was always racing from one activity to another or driving all over to find something. Now... our outings have to make sense logistically. Are Alex and Clara's activities close enough that I can reasonably get from one place to the other? Are the activities near public transportation? If not... is that activity worth it enough to make special arrangements to get there? If I drove, I know I would over commit even more than I have been doing. I would probably say "yes" to everything since I could just zip on over. Instead I have to say "no" more often than "yes". But is that so bad? We truly have to think about the merit of everything we do... yes, we have probably missed some really cool things... BUT those things we did do, were things we really wanted to do.

3. Taking the CTA keeps spending in check. Oh my.... I was a HUGE Target addict when we lived in Texas. I think I went 2-3 times a week. Being able to drive there was bad enough... but what really made it bad was the fact I was driving home :-) I would go wander around, put things in my cart, wheel said cart to my car, load everything in and then drive right into my attached garage at home. I never really had to think about what I bought. Now, every purchase we make when we're out has to be thought out because we have to carry it home. I don't go to Target here in Chicago but maybe 2-3 times a year.... and you know what... that's okay! We've survived without it! I don't need to be always replacing towels, picking up a few items of kids clothes here and there or impulse buying things because they are on sale. I do occasionally go on minor impulse shopping binges (yesterday was one of those days)... but I didn't buy as much as I could/would have since I had reached the limit that I wanted to carry. Ugh... I was also a Hobby Lobby addict as well... I would get some crazy crafty idea into my head (what makes this really bad is that I'm not terribly crafty) and would rush out to Hobby Lobby to buy all of the supplies for that crazy idea! No thought at all... just go out and get it! I also vividly remember spending a whole day driving from place to place looking for the perfect party favors for Clara's 5th birthday party. How insane that I wasted all of that time, energy and gas, looking for just the right thing for a group of 5 year olds! Okay.... yes... the favors were adorable... but was it really worth it?

4. Not driving makes this exercise adverse person get some exercise. I'm not big on "exercise".... I wish I was, but I'm not. Not driving gets me out and moving. We walk A LOT each and every day. I should actually get a pedometer to see how much ground we cover everyday since I'm curious now. When I was driving all of the time, it seemed like I didn't walk more than a few feet at a time. I didn't have to!

5. We rarely eat fast food. I have to tell you that we were really bad about eating fast food when I used to drive. It was just too incredibly easy to swing through a drive through on our way from one place to another. It was also too easy to drive through just to pick up a drink to sip on all day as I drove around (sitting, not moving). We rarely have fast food now. If we're out and need to eat, we generally make a better choice as we are walking around and have different options. We also don't generally stop to get drinks. I hate carrying around a drink (has something to do with my inability to successfully take a drink while walking, I think). So not only does our walking/CTA taking burn calories, but it also cuts down on the amount of calories we consume.

6. I can't parallel park. Seriously... I failed it on my driver's test at 16 and have never attempted it again.

Yes... there are bad things about taking the CTA.

Dealing with rain and snow when we walk to and from our stops is one. However, to be honest... I would much rather be walking in it than dealing with the traffic issues it causes.

Sometimes the trains/buses are crowded with nowhere to sit. But these times have been learning exercises in common courtesy for my kids... learning when it is the right thing to do to give up your seat to someone else. And really... a little standing isn't all that bad when you're moving quickly toward home while watching traffic at a standstill out of the windows of the train.

And oh yes... there are the crazies on the trains occasionally... those are always fun. But my kids are becoming equipped with coping skills they'll need when they're out on their own traversing the city someday. They know riding in the front car, right behind the driver is a safer choice. They know that getting off the train and waiting for the next one is always an option. Hopefully with having this be part of their daily lives when they are young and we're together, it will just be second nature for them when they are older.

When I drove, we crisscrossed our town in our little traveling bubble.... with little or no interaction with what was going on around us. Now, we talk... we watch out the windows and discuss what we see.... we relax and sleepy children rest their heads on my shoulder. I much prefer that to the chauffeur role I had taken on before.