Tonight when I got out of my meditation class it was pouring rain and dark. My first thought was, "I should have brought the car." Instead, I put on my rain pants, unlocked by bike, and biked home. As I was biking I realized that I was much happier on my bike than in the car even with the rain. I could smell (and feel!) the rain, smell the many flowering trees along the canal, be fully in the darkness of the night. It reminded me of what I like about not buying new things. When I'm on my bike I'm much more aware of the world and the same thing holds for this "not buying" mode. (It made me wonder how many other areas of my life are not in "bicycle mode" but could be.)
Riding my bike might be a bit more difficult and take a little longer but it is much more rewarding. The same holds, in general, for not buying new things. Both slow me down and make me think. Still, I know there is a time and place for the car (if I were going to some fancy dress event and it was raining, for example). So, too, there is a time and place for new things (possibly Michal's sandals). But going to an extreme--saying "no new things"--can help bring into focus those times when buying something new really does make sense (even if, in most cases, "bicycle mode" is better!).
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