My World is Shrinking. And That's OK.

Beth Gallagher

Beth Gallagher

Well-known member
Does anyone else feel that their world is shrinking? I swear, I could be happy never setting foot off our property... and it's just a normal subdivision plot. Everything that makes me happy (except the kids and grands) is on this little place. No one can tell me what to say or what to think or how to conduct myself as long as I am right here. It's comfortable here and I love it.

We drove to a restaurant earlier that is closer into town (Houston). The traffic is a nightmare, people are rude, restaurant prices are exorbitant, food is OK but definitely not better than can be made at home. I told my husband that my "going into town" days are numbered; I'll just hang out here in the 'burbs.

I no longer have any interest in traveling, going to malls, etc. Anywhere there are people, things have been ruined by loud, ill-mannered, self-absorbed twits. This is no longer the world I knew, and I don't like it. (Said every old person, forever.)

So I'll just be out on the patio in case anyone is looking for me. If someone calls I probably won't answer. My world is small.
 
Oh, definitely, and, at least for me, it doesn't have to. While I spend time away from home walking or biking, I don't do that with other people. The restaurants I used to enjoy hanging out in didn't survive the COVID fiasco. While my favorite restaurant reopened, it is under new ownership, and only the building is the same. Plus, it was closed long enough that I got out of the habit of going. Mostly, I don't feel like going anywhere, and I especially don't feel like visiting people. When I come across someone I know at the grocery store or somewhere, I'll talk to them, of course, but I don't seek people out.
 
Malls were never my thing. Growing up with traveling parents who had everyone out of school at least one day a week and managed to pack skiing plus sailing into a Fiat 130 Coupe. Spend a summer on a sail boat on the coast formerly known as Yugoslavia when you are 16 and get one wine bottle of water to wash your hair per day. On the other hand I got to see world class performances and still know how to say bread please”. I was sent on shore to get bread and wine at the small islands.
Back and forth between US and Europe forever. It gets bad when the D130 crew knows you. Plus we lived in tourist towns until we moved to Oklahoma. No, I do not want another RV, plane or anything that means packing. I have seen what I want to see.
No more travel please! We just had that conversation about me not going to Phoenix for the big play date in February.
 
@Beth Gallagher - I think most of us are like that. I would rather be home, than out and about.I do miss my shops I use to browse around in. Nearest Goodwill is 100 plus miles from here...so I will just stay put. I have nothing in common with the ole ladies here.Some appear not to want to be friendly as in we re not church goers.I might be wrong.Regardless we have been home bodies for what seems like forever.
 
Like some of you, I could care less if I don’t leave my house. I go to the grocery store and a few other places, if I must, but that is about it. I have no desire to travel or go visit people. I am not much of a social butterfly, just an old grumpy person set in my ways. I am content being at home even though I know most of the days are rather humdrum and routine.
 
Hedi Mitchell said:
@Beth Gallagher - I think most of us are like that. I would rather be home, than out and about.I do miss my shops I use to browse around in. Nearest Goodwill is 100 plus miles from here...so I will just stay put. I have nothing in common with the ole ladies here.Some appear not to want to be friendly as in we re not church goers.I might be wrong.Regardless we have been home bodies for what seems like forever.
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You will. Ot fit in no matter how long your skirt is.
 
@Beth Gallagher you are far from alone. I’ve been like that for many years. I bought my 2002 Saturn brand spanking new. There’s a reason why it only has 80,000 miles on it. I said it was my retirement car and when I retired I wasn’t coming off this hill except to go to the Feed store & the grocery store and I meant that.

Thankfully, for me, I live very rural and I live in an Ag county so when I do go into town, it’s relatively painless and the food places serve up quality and quantity for the money spent . In my case, it is cheaper for me to buy something ant one of the restaurants and bring it home because the portions are so large I can generally get 2 to 3 meals out of one serving.

My world gets smaller because my arthritis is not getting any better. It slows me down - it tisses me off - A lot. By the time I am done doing one thing, I am almost wiped out for the rest of the day. I might just as well have unloaded 125 bales of hay off the wagon for as tired and wore out as I am.

Still-in-all, while I love my dogs, my horse is my purpose to keep moving, no matter how much it hurts.
 
Connie Bennett said:
@Beth Gallagher you are far from alone. I’ve been like that for many years. I bought my 2002 Saturn brand spanking new. There’s a reason why it only has 80,000 miles on it. I said it was my retirement car and when I retired I wasn’t coming off this hill except to go to the Feed store & the grocery store and I meant that.

Thankfully, for me, I live very rural and I live in an Ag county so when I do go into town, it’s relatively painless and the food places serve up quality and quantity for the money spent . In my case, it is cheaper for me to buy something ant one of the restaurants and bring it home because the portions are so large I can generally get 2 to 3 meals out of one serving.

My world gets smaller because my arthritis is not getting any better. It slows me down - it tisses me off - A lot. By the time I am done doing one thing, I am almost wiped out for the rest of the day. I might just as well have unloaded 125 bales of hay off the wagon for as tired and wore out as I am.

Still-in-all, while I love my dogs, my horse is my purpose to keep moving, no matter how much it hurts.
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Ditto that.
 
As @Ken Anderson alluded to, I think COVID killed the joy out of going out. I used to like to shop and go to the malls, but there are few of them left. I do like getting out and driving. And I still enjoy grocery shopping. But for some reason, dining out has lost its appeal for me as well. My main out-of-the-house activity was a non-profit I was highly active with, but we shut that down maybe 6 years ago when we ran out of funds...that's the problem with such organizations in areas with lots of need and no resources to support it. I used to be real active with a 3 church charge, but COVID killed that, too.
 
Mary Robi said:
I pray that I never lose my desire for travel or just "going somewhere". Granted, it's getting harder to take the "big trips", but there's still so much to do and see that's relatively local.

As long as I'm still on my own two feet, I'll travel.
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This is kind of how I feel, too. I miss the days when my daughter was living here and we went on trips together. Since she is in the Netherlands, we are lucky to even see her maybe once a year when they close for Christmas over there where she works.
I would enjoy another cross country train trip, or even flying out west to visit my family out there, but it is just not likely to happen.

I have always loved traveling and long road trips, and had no problem driving for days at a time; but now that would be harder for me to do. I would still enjoy doing it though.
As far as everyday stuff, we seldom go anywhere. With the good truck having that overheating problem, we just have the little Ranger to drive, which is fine for a quick trip to Walmart, but not for longer drives, and Bobby does not want to use the handiRide to go anywhere.

As long as we choose our travel times, we do not have much of a traffic problem, like in a larger city; but there is just not much of anywhere that we need to go anymore.
 
We did a lot of traveling when we were younger, but things were very different in those days before people forgot human decency and how to behave in public. Can you imagine that people actually had consideration for others?? What a concept.

Our last vacation flight was in 2017 when we flew to Washington DC for 2 weeks, which should be on every American's bucket list. The flight was calm and relaxing, without a pretend "emotional support animal" in sight.

We bought a motorhome in 2011 so we could travel and take our little dog with us. The thing I liked most about RV travel was that we were still in "our house" with our stuff and our bed. If an occasional inconsiderate jerk parked next to us we could unhook and leave. Sadly, now the jerks are in the majority according to RV forums and RV travel is another casualty of people behaving badly.

The RV was fun while it lasted, but when it sold we were glad to see it's tail lights.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
We did a lot of traveling when we were younger, but things were very different in those days before people forgot human decency and how to behave in public. Can you imagine that people actually had consideration for others?? What a concept.

Our last vacation flight was in 2017 when we flew to Washington DC for 2 weeks, which should be on every American's bucket list. The flight was calm and relaxing, without a pretend "emotional support animal" in sight.

We bought a motorhome in 2011 so we could travel and take our little dog with us. The thing I liked most about RV travel was that we were still in "our house" with our stuff and our bed. If an occasional inconsiderate jerk parked next to us we could unhook and leave. Sadly, now the jerks are in the majority according to RV forums and RV travel is another casualty of people behaving badly.

The RV was fun while it lasted, but when it sold we were glad to see it's tail lights.
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We spent 10 years traveling around in our fifth-wheel for 4-5 months every year. I loved every minute of it (well, except for the flat tires and a couple of mechanical problems and a couple of scary situations.....)

I still regret getting rid of it, but it was getting hard on the other half, all that hooking and unhooking and the hard driving.

I had made an offer on a place in North Carolina for the summers but the inspection turned up some stuff and the sellers wouldn't drop the price for and then Covid hit and we just stayed home and didn't travel for a couple of years.

He doesn't like international travel so I make the big trips with my sisters...we've gone to Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rico, Turkey and India in the last 10 years.

Last month, he and I went to Virginia and West Virginia, where we did stuff like visit a haunted Lunatic Asylum, toured a coal mine, went on a cave tour and hiked to a waterfall. My knee slowed me down a bit, but I kept up. Last week, I was in North Carolina and went hiking. The knee hurt but I did it!
 
Yvonne Smith said:
This is kind of how I feel, too. I miss the days when my daughter was living here and we went on trips together. Since she is in the Netherlands, we are lucky to even see her maybe once a year when they close for Christmas over there where she works.
I would enjoy another cross country train trip, or even flying out west to visit my family out there, but it is just not likely to happen.

I have always loved traveling and long road trips, and had no problem driving for days at a time; but now that would be harder for me to do. I would still enjoy doing it though.
As far as everyday stuff, we seldom go anywhere. With the good truck having that overheating problem, we just have the little Ranger to drive, which is fine for a quick trip to Walmart, but not for longer drives, and Bobby does not want to use the handiRide to go anywhere.

As long as we choose our travel times, we do not have much of a traffic problem, like in a larger city; but there is just not much of anywhere that we need to go anymore.
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Cross country trains are still possible @Yvonne Smith as they make accommodations for seniors and handicapped folks. A bedroom is a bit pricey, but a great way to go if you can afford it.
 
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