‘I miss my mower!’

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Dear Jaclyn and Heidi,
It’s six months since my wife and I sold up and started trav­elling full-time … and it’s been fantastic. We love discovering new places and meeting fellow travellers. However I think I am different from most grey nomads inasmuch as I miss my old life terribly. I am in my mid- 70s and I miss pottering around the garden and even mowing the lawn. I miss hav­ing a chat to the fellow at my local convenience store who was there when my children were toddlers, I miss bumping into friends at the shops, and I miss the ‘excitement’ of check­ing my post box every morning. Sometimes, when I’m sitting at some beauty spot or other and Vera is inside the van cooking, I think about my old life and it literally brings a tear to my eye. What’s wrong with me?
Toby

Six months isn’t enough time to re-adjust to such a massive lifestyle shift, Toby. Go easy on yourself and give it some time. It may take years but you will slowly establish new routines and new patterns. You will start enjoying the familiar delights of bumping into fellow travellers you first met how­ever many months earlier on the other side of the country. You will learn to appreciate the the things that make each day different and yet slowly more familiar. The sounds of your neighbours packing up before dawn will replace the humming of the neighbour’s lawnmower, logging onto your email account will replace the excitement of the postman’s visit, and eventually the man who owns your local conveni­ence store will sell up and re­tire. Life moves on Toby. Enjoy the choices you have made.
Jaclyn

What 99% of the rest of the world’s population wouldn’t give to have your problems, Toby! Come on, mate. Get a grip. The missus is inside the van cooking tea, you’re sitting in paradise, and you’re choos­ing to spend your time pining after the opportunity to mow a lawn. Sadly, we can only be in one place at any one time. You were reaching a certain age and made a choice. Celebrate your choice. Life is too short to spend our time looking in the rear view mirror wish­ing we could do this instead of that. If I understand you rightly, Toby, you don’t regret your decision to hit the road. You just wish you could be at home at the same time. We can’t have our cake and eat it, too, Toby … but being a grey nomad is as close as you’re go­ing to get. Deal with it!
Heidi