I find it important to revisit the things that appear as habits. Habits are nothing more than stacks of patterns of static quality. They have been stacked for a while, like the stuff in the closet of that room you never open.

Ownership and daily use of an 18 cubic foot refridgerator is one such pattern that I am evaluting.

Years ago I was revisiting the use of a car. My hypothesis was that cars are a large expense ($8,000 annually including insurance and maintenance) that behave like a necessary utility like electricity and indoor plumbing. I challenged that static quality of car ownership by parking it away and using my bicycle for commuting. Later I was able to sell the car completely and go car-free for a year and a half.

Bicycle commuting was the new dynamic quality that I explored during that time. It later became a pattern of static quality in my life as I took on bicycle advocacy and urban planning as hobbies.

I own and drive a car now, so that static quality is back but in a very different way. My outlook towards cars are not the same. I am more inclided to drive my car to high miles. I revel in the fact that I know a good mechanic who I trust. I use an app to check the performance of the engine.

These are things I would have never thought of doing before I challenged my earlier habit of car ownership.

Maybe some day after I have used an under-counter refridgerator for a few years I would switch to a larger "regular" sized refridgerator. That will be ok. I am excited to see how patterns of static quality have changed for me.