I love these people!

A big part of being a PhillyCarShare member is that you must recognize your responsibility to the group. It really is a co-op in a way. For instance, the gas is free - but you have to take the time to fill it up. Fines or penalties only get handed out when you do something that causes a problem to other members, like leaving it with an empty tank or returning a car very late. There's even a credit if you get the car washed! (Hmmm - maybe I'll do that tomorrow if I have extra time!)

It's just the way I want my 1st and 2nd-grade classroom to run. Neither has a perfect set of natural consequences/ intrinsic rewards, but the facsimile is parallel. Expectations are clearly defined and met; there are consequences for carelessness and rewards for caring and responsibility.

It makes me feel so happy each time I use a car, because it feels so fair and sensible. The thought that people I pass on the street could be fellow members also gives me a warm feeling. I wish everyone could have access to this. Just plain renting a car never feels this light. :)

Alas, we almost used a Phillycarshare for our trip to Baltimore for Thanksgiving. It turned out that just driving the buick was a leeeettle bit cheaper in the immediate sense. Oh well. At least you can take that as evidence that I'm not completely brainwashed or something.

I am feeling rather philosophical today, so here's one more tidbit:

At the end of a long day, when I am tired yet there is still work to be done, I often find myself thinking, "Am I really LIVING? Is this the life I want? When will the never-ending vacation of my fantasies begin?" But if I take a moment to add up the meaning of it all - my work as a teacher, the part I play in my community and the world (including being a part of groups like Weaver's Way food Co-op and PhillyCarShare ), and all of the love that surrounds these pursuits, I feel very grass-roots, close to the source, makin' a difference, "whole-grain" about my life. And there are days when it's almost a shock to realize how natural I feel going about my life-work. Mindfulness of this turns it into a precious gift.

Of course, given the way my mind and soul work, I doubt I would last long doing it any other way.

By this time it's a well-established precedent, proven by my salary, that you couldn't pay me to give that up.

Namaste