As some of you know, I’m agoraphobic. Have been for quite some time. I blame my many chronic ailments. But the truth of the matter is that I’ve been an ambivert — leaning towards introvert — all my life. The past decade or so has just proven to be overwhelming for me and I’ve turtled. I don’t feel ashamed of it, but there is a downside, and that is when you pull back from your friends, well, they move on.
As they should. I totally do not expect people to wait around on my happy ass. And I certainly don’t expect them to be there waiting for me when I come around with my hand out. You know?
That’s not to say I don’t have friends. I do. Like, I haven’t been completely isolated — Facespace has been my social media of choice, and I’ve kept in touch with friends and family on there, even if it’s just been through shared memes and likes. Any connection is better than nothing at all. You know?
And I’ll tell you this for nothing, those online friends, have been a lifeline for me. The shared smiles and little likes. I love that. That’s not to diminish the people here in real life. I love them to pieces too, even if I haven’t been able to go out and about to see them face to face. If it weren’t for everyone, and I mean every single person in my world this past year, I’d be a lot worse off than I am today, physically, mentally, and otherwise. I’m so grateful for all y’all.
So, where was I going with this? Oh yeah, the downsides of being agoraphobic is that my circle of friends, as awesome as they are… well, it shrinks. And I’m pushing sixty, so where does one go to make friends when I don’t work, don’t go to church, and don’t go outside? It’s tough.
Online groups are hit and miss. Like I’ve joined a few but nowadays it’s difficult to keep out the bots and the ne’er-do-wells. Or you just end up with a bunch of people who love to nitpick and argue. And I don’t have the time or patience for that. Some people like that kind of thing, but it’s not for me. Not good for my mental health, so best to avoid it.
So yeah, being a hermit has its comforts, but it comes with hurdles. And lately, I’ve been navigating one of the bigger ones: keeping afloat while living mostly in my little bubble. As some of you might be aware, Doug’s been out of a job for nearly a year. Not that he hasn’t been looking… he has, but the job market is really abysmal right now. Especially in his field (IT). Soon AI will be taking over his field, and then where will we be?
Deep breath… think positive. Think positive.
I know it’s a lot to ask, but if you want to help in a concrete way, we have a GoFundMe (also linked in the sidebar) to help cover some of these costs. It’s not about luxury — it’s about keeping our little household above water. We want to make sure the dogs stay healthy and stay on top of the day to day. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a real difference.
I know many of you already support me just by being here, reading, commenting, and liking. That support is priceless. The GoFundMe is just a way to help us weather this tough patch a little more smoothly.
