Growing up in the 70's you rode your bike everywhere, didn't go to the store everyday. Going out to eat was a special treat and there was not a McDonald's every mile. Social circles were much smaller and you were careful of long-distance calls. You didn't want to go with your parents to Montgomery Wards because it was boring. Not going to the store everyday or out to eat was pretty common. The adjustment back to that mindset is not difficult for me.
I sat and waited for 5 months in the desert for Desert Storm. Had shower runs and 1 phone call to family a week (if they didn't answer you had to wait till the next run), no such thing as internet, got paper mail, VHS tapes and care packages as we sat in the desert. Doing without was common, doing nothing was an everyday thing. Playing spades, excercising, reading, and talking **** was an everyday thing. No TV except VHS movies in a communal rec tent. This hasn't even been 90 days yet.
I do have an 85 year old widowed mother that lives by herself in another state I worry about, but I do the same thing now I did back then. The serenity prayer.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
What is your mental state?
