No country for Senior citizens? I ask?

[pwb]

Not me at least, anymore. Food is about all I go out for now. No early bird restaurant specials, No driving, no new clothes, no new cars, no nails or hair done, no friends, no funerals, no family visits. Just occasional take out and helping my children get through this is about all I do now. I have even stopped gardening and cutting the grass like I use to I don't want to be outside anywhere.

I served this country for this shit? I feel like I am living in Russia. Always another side to everything is no way to live and I think it sucks. Truth and realities have been replaced with lies and questions. Not half of the dead from this virus should have died. It was not and is not a hoax and it is not safe around any other person still. I don't like it when I am Lied to and I have been lied to. Stay safe my fellow seniors we are on our own. We are a big part of this economy and Trump will soon find out he should not have fucked us over endangering us.

You listen up too stock market?

[cayugafalls]

1. How come you stopped mowing the lawn? Can you not social distance?

Just asking if you have enough space or masks? Is your garden in your backyard?

I'm not trying to be critical at all, just trying to understand as we have not stopped going outside in our yard, but we have stopped all other activities. We don't even do take out. We get curbside delivery of groceries and I have only seen my brother from a distance using mask, gloves, face shield.

So I understand your concerns, really. I am a senior as well and immuno-compromised due to chemo drugs.

[Mike 03]

2. My mother is in the same boat. She misses a lot of the

things you miss. We have all been in lockdown so we carefully get together (one on one visits) occasionally. I always recommend to her that she take walks and get outside. She always feels better when she does it, but she has trouble motivating herself.

I'm really sorry.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

3. I'm a senior & when I start wallowing I remember I'm still covid free.

I listened early to people like Rachel Maddow. This is when the Bunker Boy was calling it a hoax.

So besides trying to be grateful, I've discovered online Home Depot deliveries (always tipping generously). I've gotten butterfly plants & garden accessories, which gives me an incentive for going outside into the yard.

I know it's difficult, but finding reasons to be grateful have helped me (and others in my life, because when mama's happy, everyone is happy).

[lunatica]

4. I've been living in social isolation since I retired.

I’m quite content to live like this. I bought a condo so I would have no yard work to do and so I wouldn’t worry about living alone. I have to admit I’m happier now than I’ve been in decades. I have a cat and we get along just fine since both of us naturally gravitate towards solitude and social distancing. The stress level in my life has gone from extreme to zero. I’ll stay with zero.

[customerserviceguy]

6. Almost the same here

Sure, I miss hanging out for a brew or two with the crowd down at the Beer Den once a week, but I'm glad that other social obligations are on hold. And being retired means not having to fear losing a job.

[lunatica]

9. I keep thinking I dodged a bad one this time

and how lucky I am not to be dependent on a job for income. But it has nothing to do with luck when I worked for many years to make sure I ended up exactly where I am.

Yet if this had happened when I was working it would be extremely stressful!

[Boomer]

21. I'm not retired yet, but...

I'm working from home, and that feels like halfway to retirement, but without any money worries.

Cutting out the commute was one major stress reliever, and it's reduced our bills because I don't need as much gas, no business clothes, I can take a break to play with a cat, keep the back door open and enjoy the sunshine and sounds of the neighborhood.

If it weren't that I DO need a haircut, I could keep on this way for months, years, however long it takes.

[SharonClark]

5. I understand your concerns but gardening

is usually a relaxing and rewarding activity. My garden and yard have never looked better and I’ve enjoyed just sitting outside and listening to the birds.

I’m not a doctor but it sounds like you’re depressed. Please take care of yourself and know that many of us understand how you feel.

[jmg257]

15. I'm not a senior - but agree 100%. 3/4 day around the yard, then birds and critter watching.

A couple pops now and then of course!

[The empressof all]

7. I was just thinking of this just this morning

It feels like what is left of my life as an elder has been stolen... I had so many plans and dreams that will now be unfufilled. I had been planning and saving for travel. That dream is gone. It's hard to find new ones now. I'm angry and sad and scared.

I went to get tomato plants yesterday and some idiot without a mask grunted in my direction as he got out of his car. It wasn't on purpose but now I have one more thing to add to my list of worries. He was too close for comfort. I was sitting in the drivers side with my window open and he was getting out of the passenger seat at the car parked next to me. I had just taken off my mask. I don't like having to be hyper vigilant when I do have to go out. I hate having to worry if my husband is being careful enough when he goes out. He works for the school district and I worry about his exposure when he returns to work in Sept. His co-workers admit to not socially distancing....(And these are teachers for cripes sake)

I'm a therapist by training. I know if I talk to my medical provider they will suggest anti-depressants. They will feel they need to do something so will give me a pill knowing full well that really won't take away this profound sense of loss and grief. I'm avoiding people to some extent because I just hate having to put on a cheery face to be socially appropriate ...even on zoom calls and facetime.

And although I look for joy every day and am grateful for all that I have....My biggest hope right now is that I will live long enough to see the Asshole leave the White House. It's my only real dream now

[stopdiggin]

8. get back to the gardening and other outdoor stuff

(never particularly gave a cr*p about the grass .. but, you do you). Even if you are in some way compromised, your yard is a pretty safe environment. You are needlessly restricting yourself .. and paying for it.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. No new cars?

How often do you usually buy one?

I'm a senior citizen, and I don't go out too much. Wear a mask if I do. I'm happy my local library has re-opened for curbside service, and I've eaten out at a restaurant on the patio twice in the last three weeks.

What I mostly miss is Geeks Who Drink, which probably won't be back for a long time.

However, my stress levels are extremely low. Perhaps it's because I don't own a TV, and so I watch very little news. I keep informed through the local paper and on-line. But I pretty much never listen to Trump's voice. It's one of the creepiest ones out there. Were he an unknown, he could probably get work in horror movies.

I'm grateful that as a retired person my income is completely unaffected by this, and I'm actually saving a lot of money because I'm not spending very much. I keep on trying to figure out what kind of special trip I'd like to take when all of this is finally over, whenever that may be. If in 1939 you started planning for a nice trip to Europe the next year, when do you suppose you'd finally take it? If you'd even go there at all. And once you did go, it would be a vastly different Europe from the one you thought you'd visit.

For me, a lot of what I'd like to do won't be a good idea for quite a while. Like going to a spa and getting a massage. Like the afore-mentioned Geeks Who Drink. But it's not the end of the world. It really isn't.

Even without a humongous death toll -- and as serious as this virus is, it doesn't kill a very large percentage of those it infects -- the world is going to be a very different place in a year or two.

[marlakay]

11. I saw on your profile you are from New York

I think the fear level has to be higher there.

We are seniors and careful but we walk dog daily and go for long drives where we don’t stop. If you aren’t in the big city but up north maybe you can go for a drive?

I told my husband last drive we were forest bathing as we drove in the mountains, lucky here in southern Oregon we are close to mountains. I hear there are beautiful vineyards in New York, never been there so much more I am sure worth seeing.

Ok if you don’t want to go out and I hear you, grow something anything inside your house, whether its a plant or just basil. Its been helping me to watch my plants grow in backyard. Normally we travel so don’t garden but we planted tomatoes and strawberries in pots this year.

I also bought 3 hanging flowers just watching them makes me feel better.

You sound depressed and I have felt that way many times since this began. Nothing is going to magically take covid and Trump away but watch less news and a few feel good movies. I normally like murder mysteries and just watched a movie about a dogs many lives with a good ending.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. No, you didn't serve your country for this shit.

We served, and that's fine. But, it's unconnected with this. I'm sure there were periods like this during the 1917 pandemic, and during WWII when tires and gasoline were not available. And "they" didn't deserve that either. Whatever is happening, it's not personal; the virus is not picking on us.

Others have said good things about going outside, mowing, gardening.

As to the stock market, it's coming back, in fits and starts. It'll drop some more as the next wave of contagion comes out of re-openings, demonstrations, political rallies, and general behavior due to quarantine fatigue. It'll probably be back to value in a year or so when a vaccine is available. Don't panic, don't sell low.

[Skittles]

13. you stopped gardening and cutting the grass?

no need for that - are you suffering some depression along with fear of covid?

[llmart]

14. I can understand how you're feeling on some level.

One thing that I have thought about as a senior is that so much focus, especially in the news outlets, is on how "cheated" the school children are. How high school seniors were cheated out of a graduation ceremony, how younger kids can't play with their friends, how they can't go to their swim lessons or any other lessons, and now summer camps. There has been little focus on senior citizens. In my opinion, yes, it's too bad for the younger people to miss out on those things, but they have their entire lives ahead of them. Decades. Seniors see their years on this earth dwindling, and the older one gets, the faster the years fly by and the more limitations you'll have. Now if you had plans on how to live after retirement you wonder if when the time is OK to travel, will you be physically able to. Now that you have the time to audit a college course you've been interested in, will you be able to? I have only one grandchild and she will be my only one. She is four years old. I don't care what anyone says, talking to a four-year old on Zoom is just not very rewarding. No hugs. No baking cookies with grandma. No having her sit on my lap so I can read her a story and cuddle.

We all need to have empathy towards what people are feeling and they need validation for those feelings. You do sound like you're a bit depressed or it could just be that at this particular time and this particular day you are feeling it more and venting. That's OK. Personally, I'm a bit of an introvert and like a quiet life after years of raising kids and working. I do feel for those people who have active social lives and now they have to endure this.

I hope you can get out of your funk soon, but I wanted you to know that you aren't alone as a senior citizen. Do try to get outside every day if you're able. I find that's the best medicine.

[MineralMan]

16. You have a lawn and garden?

So do I, for which I feel very fortunate. I'll be 75 years old next month. Like you, I served in the military. Unlike you, though, i blame nobody for the current pandemic. I am glad I am not in a nursing home. I am glad I can still start my lawnmower and cut my grass.

We are in a pandemic, so I'm being careful, but I don't blame anyone for the virus. I started taking precautions as soon as the first cases showed up here. I'm not hiding in my house, though. My wife and I walk our dogs daily and greet our neighbors as we always do, but everyone's avoiding close contact.

It's a pandemic. We all must cope with that. You can still mow your lawn and dig in your garden. You're lucky. Not everyone has those things.

[Tipperary]

17. I am outside in my garden every day.

You can safely be out mowing your yard, walking your dogs, sitting in a chair reading a book outside.

[George II]

18. We bought a car for my wife about 2 weeks before everything shut down. She's had it....

....for four months, reached 700 miles yesterday! We don't go anywhere.

[Tommymac]

19. Get outside and Garden. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

You sound like you are suffering from depression - see a medical professional.

Things are bad - but not as bad as you are portraying them to be.

And just think - in a few short months we will have REAL leadership in place again.

Get HELP! I speak from experience.

[GoldenMezzoDiva]

20. Sounds as if you're understandably suffering from depression...

Please don't give up. You're too good a guy for that. And
you do have lots more to give. Maybe a good counselor
to talk to, and/or medical treatment to take the edge off?
Anyway, as my dad always said, "Keep the faith!" And remember,
you are not alone!

[love_katz]

22. I am in a similar boat.

My lawn is anywhere from waist high to chest high. Some of that is because I look at it a bit differently than most folks. It has a big patch of an herb that has naturalized, and it also has a lot of plantain, which I have been wanting to make into an oil or ointment for skin irritations. I also have old injuries to my hip and knee, and probably sciatica as well, so a session with the lawnmower can leave me in pain for several days. The hardest thing to face is the huge amount of uncertainty in my future, and I am aware that I am not the only one. I am mostly dealing with the situation through a bit of denial. That doesn't mean that I am not taking precautions, I v wear a mask and gloves when I need to go out, hand sanitizer and washing, etc. The one thing that I can hang onto is to keep reminding myself to let go of what I can't control. Tonight I upped my nature quotient inside my house by cleaning up and restarting a mini indoor fountain. It's actually more of a rain machine, with the added bonus of a selection of nature sounds. Very soothing. I am sending hugs and hope that you receive whatever assistance and support that you need.