Is commuting a state of mind?
 

This may seems like an odd question but thought it was interesting.

A few times in recent years I have been without a car. So how did I get around? You guessed it...my bike!
When I didn't have a car there weren't any excuses for not commuting by bike...if I needed or wanted to go somewhere, it was by bike or I wouldn't go. The interesting thing is I never minded with a few exceptions when the weather was bad. But even then I felt "empowered" when I did it!

Now I have a car again and when I need to go the post office, bank, store or wherever, I reach for my car keys until I stop and think "do I really need to drive?". Then I get my helmet and bike lock and head out the door.

Now, there are times I am tempted to drive the car and sometimes I do, but at the end of the day commuting by bike is "a state of mind".

Your thoughts?

It's a conscious choice. Their are those that refuse to commute when it's too cold, or wet. That's fine. Then their are those who love to run an errand in the rain, or ride to work freezing. It makes us feel more alive. It's all about your personal comfort zone and how tough mentally and physically you are. My car battery is dead because I use my bike and to a lesser extent motorcycle so much. I wouldn't have it any other way.

my fiance has a car that she commutes with, but i do not. so if i want to get to the work in the morning, i have 4 options - bike, train, cab, or walk. walking takes too long (4+ hours one way), cabs are too expensive ($30+ one-way), and the train isn't terribly fun and still costs money ($4 one-way), so the bike usually wins!

bike commuting isn't a state of mind for me, it's merely my best option most of the time.

It's definitely intentional. It is a habit that needs to be developed. But once you're there... it's awesome.

I believe the term for people like that (including myself) is "fair weather commuters"

driving is a state of mind, biking is a state of bliss.

Since the end of march I had to ride the car 3 times because I had other appointements during the day. Otherwise I always take my bike, rain or shine. I don't know if it's a state of mind but I know that on the 3 days I couldn't ride my bike I felt like I missed something to start the day on the right foot and I was jealous of the bike commuters I met on the road.