Very inspiring read, to say the least. Given where you live, I'm assuming that most people say, "This isn't New York or Chicago. You have to own a car here." I know because they say the same thing here in my crappy little corner of redneck America. I think that you and many others prove that you can adjust to a car-free lifestyle fairly easily if you're committed to it. I would not say that I'm car-free, but I'm definitely very light on my vehicle usage, as most of my miles on my car are from road trips to out-of-state, which seems hypocritical on the surface, but is what I feel that cars are actually good for.
I've always marched to my own drum, but I feel weirder now than I ever have, as this morning I showed up to work (I'm a city planner) on an expensive road bike, wearing a suit with a jacket and tie, right pants leg rolled up, a ROOTS Canda messenger bag around my neck (In rdenck-land, mind you), and a baseball cap on my head at 6 am in the morning. About six or seven other employees were standing outside smoking while I was rolling down my pants leg and searching for my ID badge in my bag. The funny thing was that I actually heard their conversation stop dead, as they all sat and stared at me as if a UFO had just landed in front of them and several little green, anal probe-wielding men had walked into their smoking circle.
I calmly got everything situated and walked in the door, where the security gaurd asked me how cold it had to get before I'd be driving (I don't know the answer, or if there is one). It just kind of hit me this morning that it is VERY MUCH the exception to actually think about the things you do and the impact your actions have. I've quit preaching about it to anyone, though. It's not my place. The fact that I have an average waist line and can climb a few sets of stairs without hopping on the elevator is enough for me.
Ghandi once said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." It's been my motto since I've heard it.