The time has come, dear readers, for me to do something I never in a million years thought I’d do . . . get rid of my trusty old Jeep (affectionately, the Green Monster). It’s been in the back of my mind for some time now, but I just haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. How can I break up with my car without having that separation anxiety? Or will I find myself back behind the wheel faster than you can say “Jeep Wrangler?”

I have been whining to the girls for months about the Monster. Gas guzzling, in need of repairs, and generally not much fun anymore, it had finally worn out its welcome with me. Sure, we had shared some good times, the Monster and me—a road trip with the girls to Boston; summers in Rehoboth; and emergency shopping mall trips— nevertheless, it’s time to let go.

At a recent happy hour, after some additional whining about a $300 repair bill, I dropped the I’m-thinking-of-getting-rid-of-the-Green-Monster-bomb on the girls. Alison, who has been living car-free for years, insisted that I would feel liberated by letting go. Stacey, on the other hand, informed me that I might as well be trapped if I don’t have a car. Erika was strangely silent on the subject, but I knew there was an opinion brewing below the surface. Would I be liberated from a two-door prison, or would I become a prisoner of my own devices?

The scale-tipping event was the fact that my parents, who had been languishing in the suburbs for far too long, finally decided to sell my childhood home in the ‘burbs (that’s another sad story for another time) for big city livin’ and move into town. This gave me an out in two ways—I could easily take transit to their new condo and, if I ever really needed a car, (with minimal begging) borrow one of theirs. But by leaving the Green Monster behind, I was afraid I’d be facing a different kind of monster. How can a former car junkie (yes, I admit it, my name is Christina and I’m a car junkie) transition into a car-free transit devotee?

I realize that I have, for several years now, been championing public transportation usage throughout the metropolitan region, but that was all well and good while I still had my own car for real emergencies, like the latest shoe sale or impromptu road trip to the beach. Does that make me a bit of a fraud? Even so, fraud no more! After weighing all the options available, the two most appealing being carsharing and taxis, I realized that I don’t really need a car anymore, even if there are three shoe sales in one day!

So, I visited my other favorite Web site, craigslist.org and put the Green Monster up for sale. I’ll admit, it was a little bittersweet getting ready to say goodbye to my old friend, but I was sure I would quickly get over it. Within a day, I had several interested buyers lined up and was all ready to sell when Erika chimed in with her opinion (I told you there was something brewing beneath the surface). “If you sell that car, you’ll regret it. I will have to shuttle you and Alison around now. I’ll become a one-woman chauffeur service. How will we get to the beach house now? And besides, you love that car. Remember when we all drove to Boston together? We won’t be able to have road trips like that anymore.”

Could it be that what appeared to be a selfish reason was really a little sentimentality? Had her emotional side finally consumed Erika’s practical side? This is where the degree in psychology that I don’t have would’ve come in handy, so I had to think on my Monolo covered feet. I reminded Erika that both she and Stacey still had cars that we could road trip in any time we wanted. I also reminded her that she had complained from just outside of New Haven all the way to Boston about the fact that the Jeep had no air conditioning. I assured Erika that the Monster was going to go to someone who really needed it, and if she wanted, she could have final approval over the new owner.

When all was said and done, I managed to escape a few dollars richer, a whole lot more relaxed, and secure in the knowledge that my car had gone to a good home (and someone who had even promised—on Erika’s prodding—to continue calling her the Green Monster). Besides, it’s not like I couldn’t buy another car at some point down the road. I wasn’t pigeonholed into any decision. And as I sat making my first car-free carsharing reservation, I felt confident that I had made the right decision (but ask me in a few weeks how I’m feeling).