Is being green better than being hot, exhausted, and vehemently angry at luggage?

This morning, the four of us navigated the local bike path on our way home the airport after our week long vacation in Oregon.

The bike path?  Is that right?

Weren't we in a car driving home from the airport?

No.

We were walking with:

• four carry-on bags (one hybrid backpack/suitcase for Bug, one backpack for Squish, one tote for me, and one overstuffed backpack for my husband);
• one stroller;
• one Squish in the stroller;
• one Bug alternating between walking with his hybrid backpack/suitcase and riding on our "stroller skateboard" (an attachment to the back of the stroller that allows him to stand and ride along as we push);
• one regular sized rolling suitcase in perfect working condition; and
• one enormous sized rolling suitcase with a broken pull handle that refused to come out of its shaft - a broken pull handle that actually came to symbolize how much I love my husband and how strong our marriage is because having to steer and roll that enormous unwieldy thing along with everything else brought us to the brink of turning on each other at least seventeen times before we even made it to the bike path.

After we had taken the T.

After we had taken the Silver Line.

After we had been on a red eye from Portland.

Why were we doing this?

Well, one week earlier, we had been standing on our front porch with:

• four carry-on bags;
• one stroller;
• one Squish in the stroller;
• one Bug with a hybrid backpack/suitcase;
• one regular sized rolling suitcase in perfect working condition; and 
• one enormous sized rolling suitcase in perfect working condition.

We were about to embark on our journey to the airport.  We had actually planned to walk the four blocks through our neighborhood to the bike path, to walk down the bike path to the T station, to ride the T to South Station, to catch the Silver Line to Logan, and then to have a leisurely dinner before we went through security and started our vacation.

Why did we make that plan?

We thought we would be too tired to drive after a red eye.  We thought we would save money by not parking the car at the airport for a week.  We thought we would save money by not even driving to the T and parking it there for a week.  We thought we were so crafty and so green - so, so sustainably green.

As we stood on the porch one week ago, I looked at all of us and all of our stuff and said to my husband, "Maybe we should drive."

My husband looked at all of us and our stuff and said, "Hrrrmmmmmmmm, maybe you're right."

Bug asked what we were talking about.  We said we were thinking about driving instead of walking to the T (or even airport).

For the preceding three days, Bug had been hyper-aware of just how many different forms of transportation were involved in our trip to Oregon, and he said, "No.  We are walking.  And taking the train [T]!  And the shuttle bus [Silver Line]!  And an airplane!"

My husband and I looked at each other, smiled, and shrugged.  My husband said, "Well.  It's settled.  [Bug] is helping us to be more green."

"Ha!  That's right!" I echoed.  "We are so green!  Let's go, family!"

Last night, as we checked our bags at the airport in Portland, the airline informed us that our flight was going to be delayed by about an hour and a half.  They airline people told us that they hoped we would be departing Portland by 12:15 am.

I looked at my husband and said, "I cannot believe we have to take the T and walk home at the end of this.  We should always drive to the airport.  Always."

He agreed.