CDTA Navigator Card Renewal
It's 11:24 AM on Tuesday. I am recently back from two trips. First, I drove my mom to an eye doctor appointment. Then I took the bus to the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) sales department and renewed my Navigator card until September 2030. I walked back home from CDTA for the exercise, stopping at the Honest Weight Food Co-op for some herbal tea to help soothe my throat during Gregorian chanting. I also treated myself to a vegan breakfast sandwich.
This may sound simple, but it was a big emotional deal for me. I got my Navigator card back in 2020 when I was living on my own in a supported mental health housing apartment on Clinton Avenue. But I never used it. I walked or I drove with my mom (in her car) everywhere I needed to go. Then when I moved back home, I continued driving with my mom for Friday morning errands and occasional medical appointments. When I realized that my Navigator card was about to expire last Monday morning, I spent 3 hours reviewing my transportation system to decide whether or not it was worth the renewal. That's when I decided to draw a clear separation between the driving I do for my mom as part of my Family Support caregiving role, and the combination of urban hiking, public transportation, and online ordering that I rely on for myself under my Hermit Economics role.
When my mom passes - and maybe well before she passes, if she is not able to afford her own car when her pension runs out - I won't be able to afford a car of my own, and I don't want one anyway. This means I need to keep my urban hiking, public transportation, and online ordering skills as strong as I can for as long as I can.
In order to help me accomplish this, I am resolving to avoid the use of my mom's car except to assist her with errands, medical appointments and recreational outings. When I need transportation for myself, I will aim to reach my destinations without relying on my mom's car. Today worked out well, but the weather was cooperative, and I didn't have a hard appointment at CDTA.
What is my next step in Green Transportation? Well, I need to work out a plan for my grocery shopping that doesn't depend on a car, and this will require me to think through my entire Plant-Based Nutrition program, which I need to do anyway. That's one thing. Maybe I will start tomorrow afternoon. I also need to think through my Vegan Wardrobe to better meet the demands of year-round urban hiking and public transportation. Maybe I will start work on that this afternoon.
CDTA is an excellent public transportation system. My thanks and prayers for everyone who makes it run so smoothly.
I've been thinking about this some more, and it occurs to me that it might be a good idea to aim for a monthly urban hiking day trip to Pittsfield (E), Poughkeepsie (S), Utica (W) and Saratoga Springs (N) on a rotating basis from March to November, traveling solo and entirely by public transportation, to restore and maintain my travel skills and confidence. It's a possibility. An additional possibility is to train for a relatively short backpacking trip from Pittsfield to North Adams - and maybe back - sometime in the summer of 2026. This looks achievable with public transportation.
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