I saved money, embraced my neighbourhood and met some kind people. All while feeling good about doing my bit for the environment
After our rustbucket of a VW Polo was towed away from outside Marks & Spencer, I rang the car pound to ask how much it would cost to get it out. “It will be £250, sir,” said the man. “But it’s only worth £50,” I replied. He clearly thought I might have difficulty coming up with £250 because he added kindly: “A lot of people find that a challenging sum. But there’s no shame in it.” Absolutely, but that wasn’t the issue. “Can I ring you back? I just need to talk to my partner,” I asked. “Take your time,” he said. “It’s not going anywhere.”
During that phone call, I had an epiphany. I could leave the car in the pound, along with the car mats bearing the registration number, which my brother-in-law had bought me. In Nicolas Poussin’s painting Landscape with Diogenes, the philosopher is watching a boy cup a hand to drink water from a pond and realises he doesn’t need his drinking bowl, his last possession (off-the-shoulder toga notwithstanding), and so he throws it away. Similarly, I could ditch the motor, and thereby change my life and bank balance.
