I am not sure what it was that told me I was about to make a life changing decision. Was it the salesman asking me if I had a girlfriend, or was it the 8 or so salespeople standing at the window pointing and commenting to each other as I transferred my belongings from my old car to my new car? Was it my best friend asking me if I needed a push in order to get my new car going, or was it my co-workers loading my car with equipment and asking if the car would still move? See, I had just traded in my 17 MPG FJ Cruiser for a 40 MPG Yaris. I am not sure how extreme a difference could be, but I am pretty sure that this was at the top of the list. The funny thing is that I just decided to do it. Almost like taking a leap of faith. Okay, maybe a leap of faith is strong, but at the same time, we live in a society in which bigger is better. A society in which we crave, the sometimes, unattainable. A society in which we are willing to go into debt and put our kids college funds in jeopardy just to have the biggest, priciest car on the road. We don’t care if we have to spend hundreds of dollars on fuel for these beasts every week, or that we are contributing to the growing global warming trend. Why is that anyway? How do we go about our daily lives knowing that this beautiful place, that was handed to us by the way, may not be inhabitable for our own grandchildren because of the decisions we make today.

Well, on that day, I decided to stop being part of the problem, and start being part of the solution. Now, just so you don’t think I am sitting here spouting self righteous opinions all over the place, please understand the following. I work for an environmental construction company. I was told when I started that I would need a truck in order to perform my duties. Needless to say, my boss was less than excited when I showed up with my new car. My company, as part of my benefits, pays for all of my fuel costs, so this decision was not solely a financial decision, although the $150 dollars in gas every week did make me a little sick. I have two young children, so driving an SUV would have been considered completely acceptable in most circles. So, I don’t want to hear people with kids telling me they need an SUV to tote the kids all over town. Honestly, we wouldn’t need an SUV to make us feel safe if it wasn’t for all of the SUV’s on the road. I made this decision because, in my mind, it was the right thing to do. Because in the end, I don’t want to sit around talking about what we need to do as a society, without taking the initiative to do it myself. I opened this little story by telling you that I made a decision to change an aspect of my life, but in the end, I would like to think I made a statement. Even if that statement only has an impact in my small part of this world, I still made it, and you can too. I have this saying that floats around in my head and although I am not sure where I read it, or who first said it, I think it sums this story up nicely. "Be the change you want to see in the world" What change do you want to be?

Last update : 03-11-2008 02:53

Average user rating

   (0 vote)