Today, I started the final repairs on my car.

In case you didn’t hear, my car broke down several weeks ago. I’ve slowly been going about getting it repaired. This is really because I’m doing the repairs myself in order to save money.

By the end of this week, my car should be running smoothly once more.

In several ways, I’m glad and relieved to have the car back.

As a musician, transporting heavy gear on a regular basis really requires a vehicle other than public transportation or a bicycle. I’ve been able to get by over the past few weeks, but it has been a challenge and a hassle at times.

I also have some weekly commitments that happen outside of biking or public transportation range. This has meant a lot of ride coordination over the past few weeks. Again, I’ve been able to get by, but it hasn’t been anywhere near ideal. Having the car again will make life a lot more stress-free in this area.

In other ways though, I’ve been truly enjoying not having the vehicle on a daily basis.

Using alternative transportation has helped me go slower. It’s helped me be more present, and more appreciative of the things I do every day, even if it’s just running by the store to pick up groceries. There’s also less thinking when walking or using public transportation. When I drive the car, I have to be conscious of my fuel level, my driving habits, my parking, etc.  When I ride the bus I just scan my pass and get off at my stop. This has freed up a lot of mental space and energy.

Once I get the car back, I still plan on using alternative transportation regularly.

In fact, I hope to use alternative transportation more than I use my car.

But I’d be lying if I said that I wouldn’t be tempted to use my car for everything. I know that I’ll be very tempted to just take the car when I don’t really need to. I should just ride the bus to the coffee shop. It only takes 15 minutes, and I get some time to read and relax. But I’ll probably face the desire to just hop in the car and make a 15 minute trip a 5 minute drive. That’s just how the human mind works a lot of the time.

That said, I realize that it’s going to take conscious self-control for me to choose not to use the car 24/7. In the end, it’s a good arena for me to exercise self-control, because ultimately alternative transportation is healthier, cheaper, and simpler.

Sometimes, the pursuit of simplicity takes self-control. Many times we are led to believe that simple living and minimalism take no mental effort. This is rarely true. Simplicity frees up mental space, but not always mental effort.

This is a mental effort that I’m excited to make, because I know it will improve my life.

Where are you exercising self-control in order to achieve simplicity?

Discuss on Google+.

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