Do You Go Somewhere Every Day?

[iloveyoga]

On average I get out 6 out of 7 days. I walk with a friend three days a week and with DH the other days. I go to see my Mom a couple times a week. I like to go to lunch with friends and do that a few times a week.

One result of the pandemic for me is that I do most of my shopping on line. I don't miss going in person at all.

I am on my tenth mostly retired year and I have really figured out how much I like to be home. A day or two is fine but then I get antsy. I have to save some of those for our eventual snow days. DH is much happier at home than I am and we both know that.

 

[iloveyoga]

The details differ a bit, but this is very much my story. The “gym” is now in the basement.

Oh yes, I should add, I do almost all of my yoga at home now. Maybe once a quarter I will go to a class in person. Very happy doing on line classes up in my bedroom.

 

[wrigley]

The gym. Pretty much every day.

Mike

 

[Amethyst]

I like being a homebody, although sometimes it seems like my body is slave to my home and yard! I don't count going for a walk around my neighborhood, even including the beach, as "going somewhere." It's just a perambulation. Actual trips away from home have tended to take place 3 times a year, though that can vary.

I try to combine local trips so there are some days where I don't need to drive anywhere, and feel free to do whatever is needed or wanted around the home. I drive to the gym (5.5 miles each way) for a 3-hour workout three days a week, and once a week to pick up groceries at the nearest small Wal-mart (5 miles each way). Prefer not to do those in the same day. Church on Sunday is followed by gym - sustaining spirit and body on the same day!

Trips to the library and bank were eliminated years ago by electronic access.
Clothing is purchased online - local stores mainly feature grandma's tunic-and-capri-pants outfits (and why, in a hot climate, do these outfits always seem to include cardigan sweaters or scarves?)
Hair gets trimmed every 3 months.
I don't get beauty treatments or nails done. With my lifestyle, nail polish wouldn't last an hour.

Some months, it feels as if I'm going to one medical provider or another (7-8 miles each way, or 13 miles each way to the dentist) at least once a week. I recall when a single doctor visit would suffice for several procedures including Xrays, but nowadays, everything's been sliced and diced into at least 3 separate provider visits per health matter. Some of my relatives, with Type II Diabetes and other common aging issues, seem to spend nearly every day visiting one specialist or another.

 

[audreyh1]

Interesting - several nuances. Some folks equate staying home with staying inside the house all day, others not. So for some folks yard work would be staying home, others not. Some folks, and that includes the OP, mention seeking a particular destination - and for the OP it seems driving there. For others they think of not staying home (of “going somewhere”) as walking the dog, or going for a local bicycle ride or walk, even though those do not involve a destination. I personally see walking in the neighborhood or cycling equate as still being home. Leaving home generally means I drive to a destination.

I do try to limit the days we drive to a destination - bunch up errands etc. so that the rest are free and unstructured and we can enjoy our vicinity. But that does not mean I stay inside the house all day.

 

[TripleLindy]

I play Pickleball 6x weekly, so that's a start.
The only times we don't leave the house is when there are super nasty storms and even then it is a maybe.

I’ve had a knee injury keeping me sidelined for the past month. Getting really frustrated, as I’m usually very active with pickleball and golf, also playing one or the other ~6x/week. Of course, that’s what led to my current situation.

My “going somewhere” has been limited to the patio and outdoor entertainment area out back. Driving me nuts!

 

[EarlyandLate]

I use my car on averge twice a week. In summer it is once a week, since biking is a better option. I like to get out and walk every day, but I'm a wimp when it comes to bad weather. Since I live in a very walkable urban area, I can do most errands on foot. Occasionally I won't even realize that I have not left the house all day until bedtime. When I go to lock the deadbolt on the hallway door(condo building), it is still locked!

 

[jollystomper]

I personally see walking in the neighborhood or cycling equate as still being home. Leaving home generally means I drive to a destination.

One factor is the "walking score" of where one lives. We have to drive everywhere for everything. While I would love to walk to the shopping center about 2 miles away, no sidewalks + hilly roads with little shoulders + folks driving 50+ MPH does not make that practical or safe . Meanwhile, one of my brothers who is retired is within a mile of a large shopping mall, a big park, a long bike/hike trail, and various recreation options, and close friends, with good sidewalks and traffic lights, so he and my SIL are out every day, but will only drive to any of them when there is inclement weather (and they also have a good bus system they can use instead of driving).

 

[Dtail]

I’ve had a knee injury keeping me sidelined for the past month. Getting really frustrated, as I’m usually very active with pickleball and golf, also playing one or the other ~6x/week. Of course, that’s what led to my current situation.

My “going somewhere” has been limited to the patio and outdoor entertainment area out back. Driving me nuts!

Yup big patience required. Had a calf injury last year and was out for 2 months. Very difficult. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[marko]

Dad's wife would hop in her car to get or do something 10 or 15 times a day, every day!

Run to the bakery, go visit her mom, special trip to buy gas, get dry cleaning.... she never understood consolidating a trip. In, out, in ,out...sometimes only gone for 10 minutes and back home again. Back in the house for 15 minutes and then off to see cousin Johnny....endless.

 

[W2R]

(Pardon the verbosity! The short answer is "No!"):

I did go somewhere every single day, for the (mild) exercise and to keep from yielding to the temptation to become an extreme introvert, until my total knee replacement surgery in late 2019.

I was still recovering from that surgery at home 24/7, when the Covid pandemic first hit. In the early pandemic days here in New Orleans we were told by authorities to stay home except to go straight to a pharmacy or grocery store, and straight back home. There were vague threats about how authorities would be checking any cars they saw on the road, asking questions, and taking appropriate measures.

Our homes are within sight of the "main drag" in the New Orleans area, so we could check the traffic from the front door. Our observations indicated close to zero traffic during those weeks. At that point it seemed like a good idea to cut back on outings. Later the traffic built back up a little, but not completely and we still stayed home a lot. Besides, my knee was getting better with all that rest! So I really did not resume going out very much even when I could.

Despite all the staying home, I still somehow(?) managed to get a very bad case of Covid that nearly killed me in September of 2021. Since then I hardly go out at all any more. I drive us to a favorite small mom'n'pop restaurant maybe once a week to eat lunch, just so I can keep my car working, I drive to the occasional doctor or dentist appointment, and that's about it. I'm not very steady on my feet due to aging and the lack of exercise, so even with my rollator walker I'm afraid to walk around the neighborhood alone. And I'm too slow for Frank to enjoy walking with me very much so I don't ask him to do that.

I have become accustomed to staying home, and actually do not mind it. I need to fight this, though, because apparently I need more exercise than I have been getting lately. I don't know if it's incomplete recovery from the knee replacement or from Covid, or if I am aging rapidly at age 74, but I'm not the physically strong old woman that I used to be a few years ago when I was having so much fun doing all that very heavy weight lifting and exercycling.

 

[marko]

We go out one or two times a day.

We have lived in our gated community for 2 years last week. Except for the people next door and the ones across the street - who we see often- we have seen our other neighbors maybe 2 or 3 times in two years! We joke that it's like living on a movie set!

Nobody ever come out of their house. Young, middle aged couples and families. Seriously, there are 3 or 4 houses on our street where we have absolutely no idea who lives there or what they even look like. FedEx and Amazon are the main traffic. The only people ever out in the front yards are the landscapers. We originally lived on a cul de sac but this seems very unusual.

It's kind of eerie some days.

 

[audreyh1]

One factor is the "walking score" of where one lives. We have to drive everywhere for everything. While I would love to walk to the shopping center about 2 miles away, no sidewalks + hilly roads with little shoulders + folks driving 50+ MPH does not make that practical or safe . Meanwhile, one of my brothers who is retired is within a mile of a large shopping mall, a big park, a long bike/hike trail, and various recreation options, and close friends, with good sidewalks and traffic lights, so he and my SIL are out every day, but will only drive to any of them when there is inclement weather (and they also have a good bus system they can use instead of driving).

Yes, I’m unable to walk to a destination as well. I don’t count the hike and bike trail or the state park next door, because I’m just getting out exercise - not going somewhere to stop for a while.

 

[street]

I have a neighbor that is 67 years old and can walk yet but barely. He retired early from being a partner in construction business. He worked hard and long hours in his working days but now can't do anything. I feel bad for him and don't see him having a long retirement do to having some many other health issues.

He doesn't get out for days and with winter now here it will be less.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

We go out one or two times a day.

We have lived in our gated community for 2 years last week. Except for the people next door and the ones across the street - who we see often- we have seen our other neighbors maybe 2 or 3 times in two years! We joke that it's like living on a movie set!

Nobody ever come out of their house. Young, middle aged couples and families. Seriously, there are 3 or 4 houses on our street where we have absolutely no idea who lives there or what they even look like. FedEx and Amazon are the main traffic. The only people ever out in the front yards are the landscapers. We originally lived on a cul de sac but this seems very unusual.

It's kind of eerie some days.

I am a fan of the "over the fence" kind of neighbors (reference to the neighbor that Tim Allen talked to on occasion on "Home Improvement"). We are cordial with our neighbors, but generally speaking, we don't socialize with most of them.

 

[marko]

I am a fan of the "over the fence" kind of neighbors (reference to the neighbor that Tim Allen talked to on occasion on "Home Improvement"). We are cordial with our neighbors, but generally speaking, we don't socialize with most of them.

I might socialize with them if we ever were to see them!

 

[aaronc879]

Walk the 90 lb dog every day for at least 2 miles. I consider that weight lifting since he pulls a lot. YMCA, swimming along with errands, talking with neighbors outside, and yard work. I would feel guilty if I stayed in the house all day. I wake up thinking where am I going today?

Guilty of what exactly?

 

[Teacher Terry]

W2R, I wonder if physical therapy would help you regain your strength and give you more mobility.

 

[jollystomper]

I have a neighbor that is 67 years old and can walk yet but barely. He retired early from being a partner in construction business. He worked hard and long hours in his working days but now can't do anything. I feel bad for him and don't see him having a long retirement do to having some many other health issues.

He doesn't get out for days and with winter now here it will be less.

Unfortunate situations are these are one reason I try to get out frequently. The day will come when I will be in a similar situation, so that motivates me to be active now.

 

[harllee]

I would love to be able to spend a day at home. I have a mother and husband with health problems and it seems all I do is go to doctor appointments with them. I long for a day with nothing to do but read a good book.

 

[Midpack]

Nobody ever come out of their house. Young, middle aged couples and families. Seriously, there are 3 or 4 houses on our street where we have absolutely no idea who lives there or what they even look like. FedEx and Amazon are the main traffic. The only people ever out in the front yards are the landscapers. We originally lived on a cul de sac but this seems very unusual.

It's kind of eerie some days.

+1. I’m amazed at how little time most people seem to spend outdoors these days in neighborhoods. When we were kids we were outside as much as possible, now I rarely see kids, I guess they’re inside gaming, social media, etc.

We don’t expect to socialize with neighbors, though we have had a few, but I’d like to at least know and keep up with close neighbors. It’s nice to be able to help each other out from time to time, we don’t have to be best friends. We make it a point to meet neighbors and talk to them when the opportunity presents, some seem to appreciate it, some don’t. But again, these days, we can go for days or weeks without seeing neighbors…

 

[EarlyandLate]

We go out one or two times a day.

We have lived in our gated community for 2 years last week. Except for the people next door and the ones across the street - who we see often- we have seen our other neighbors maybe 2 or 3 times in two years! We joke that it's like living on a movie set!

Nobody ever come out of their house. Young, middle aged couples and families. Seriously, there are 3 or 4 houses on our street where we have absolutely no idea who lives there or what they even look like. FedEx and Amazon are the main traffic. The only people ever out in the front yards are the landscapers. We originally lived on a cul de sac but this seems very unusual.

It's kind of eerie some days.

I live in a condo building with interior hallways and have been here 6 years (time flies!). There are people on my hallway that I have never seen! I hear them when I walk by their doors, but I don't know when they come and go. A few neighbors I see frequently.

There was a couple on the third floor that lived only two doors down from friends of mine. They (the mystery couple) were residents here for 13 years. My friends never met them until the day they were moving out.

 

[Sojourner]

DW and I took a road trip to see some friends in San Antonio recently and dealing with SO MANY PEOPLE and idiot drivers will have me sitting at home for several days before I have ANY desire to see the sheeple.

+1

I honestly think this is why I prefer staying at home most days. Inevitably, when I do go out and drive somewhere (appointment, store, restaurant, visit my elderly DF, etc.), I end up getting very annoyed and frustrated by the incredible volume of traffic on the roads. It continues to amaze me how much worse it seems now than pre-pandemic.

I don't much understand the "going to the store" 3 or 4 times a week. We *might* hit up the store once a week, but it's usually 10-14 days between trips.

Same here. Going out just to be "out" seems kind of pointless to me. I really enjoy being at home and typically don't enjoy driving and fighting traffic and being around lots of people in stores, etc. If I want to get out for a change of scenery and some fresh air, walking around the neighborhood or going down to the local bike/walking trail is plenty good enough for me.

 

[kgtest]

I go out at least once a day to drop my kids off. I try to have intent on where I am going. I don't like randomly running errands here and there and prefer to bundle them VS DW likes to just go when the need arises.

I do feel better if I get outside the house. We are getting into long hours without sunshine and warmth here in the midwest and I was always told that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em which means...go out and have some fun instead of avoiding the misery of cold dreary days.

As I grow older and my friends start getting their own families, I see a lot less of friends these days but do try to make a concerted effort to get out with the few good friends I do have. Sometimes its just to lend them a hand or help them out, others its to have fun at a ball game or hockey game or grab lunch. I probably grab lunch once a week either by myself or with friends.

DW does MOST of the shopping errands, but I do sometimes get groceries and handle errands related to house or car maintenance. I am healthy and schedule all of my dr/dentist appt at the end of the calendar year. I would rather do these appointments when its cold and miserable then when its sunny and warm and I could be doing other fun things during that time. I also despise doing errands on weekends since I am still working and try to reserve that time for doing outings and activities with the kiddos.

When I ER, I plan to take a look at all the services I would have otherwise paid someone to do, and handle those myself (although not many). I also plan to get season passes to ski resorts and read a little more, do more hiking and biking and find new hobbies like learning guitar in the winter, or teaching myself Arabic. I was thinking of signing up for a rec pickleball league just to get out a little more in the winter, which reminds me I need to sign up for that. I bet I am one of the younger folks who shows up lol.

 

[street]

+1

I honestly think this is why I prefer staying at home most days. Inevitably, when I do go out and drive somewhere (appointment, store, restaurant, visit my elderly DF, etc.), I end up getting very annoyed and frustrated by the incredible volume of traffic on the roads. It continues to amaze me how much worse it seems now than pre-pandemic.



Same here. Going out just to be "out" seems kind of pointless to me. I really enjoy being at home and typically don't enjoy driving and fighting traffic and being around lots of people in stores, etc. If I want to get out for a change of scenery and some fresh air, walking around the neighborhood or going down to the local bike/walking trail is plenty good enough for me.

I wouldn't be able to handle all the traffic if I lived where that has become an issue either.

For example, the other day I went and spent the day at the ranch and in a round trip of 45 miles I only seen one pickup on the road I travel to and from. That isn't always a good thing either, but I know everyone for miles around if in need, I would start walking to their places.