Do you find that the older you get, the more you avoid big crowds?

E

Elzee

Member
Location
Austin, TX
My husband and I went to a shopping plaza, just for a night out. They have several nice outdoor sitting areas with fireplaces and it's just a nice place for a stroll and to get a hot cup of tea or coffee on a cool autumn evening. This is in Texas, so it's cool but not cold. But we didn't realize on that Saturday night, it was the opening of Santa's Workshop and the lightening of the Christmas tree. My oh my, what a huge crowd and I just felt a little overwhelmed. I realized that when I was younger, the crowds would be exciting. But, now we are planning our outing to avoid the crowds. Does anyone else feel the same way with crowds?
 

Same here, I was never one for big crowds, even when I was younger. I also am not crazy about shopping, I get in and get out of the store, and now that I'm retired, I try to go on weekdays. Never had any desire to be trampled by a bunch of crazies looking to save a few bucks on 'black friday', nowadays, they're spraying each other in the eyes with pepper spray to get an item...not good, LOL. :p Don't like to drive in heavy traffic either, never did, especially on the highway. Courtesy and patience have gone out the window anymore. :rolleyes:
 
I used to enjoy big crowds in my teens - I went to the New Year's events in NYC's Times Square many times in those years. Talk about a human car-wash! I also loved attending concerts at the Garden and the Coliseum.

By my early twenties I had had it with crowds. My martial training told me that an incident was more likely in such crowds, and my personality was gelling into its present monk-like state, so I cut out the crowd scenes whenever possible. I still lived in the city but went grocery shopping at 2AM, just to avoid the people.

Now, if I see a dozen people a day it's notable. And I prefer it that way. :cool:
 

Count me in as one who hates crowds now that I'm older. I have never liked strangers invading my space, but now I'm much worse. I try to avoid grocery shopping at peak times (which usually means Walmart) I detest trying to get a grocery cart thru aisles that are packed with people that leave their carts in the middle of the aisle with three screaming snotty nose, peeing their pants, while grabbing everything off the shelf kids, while they shop the opposite end of aisle. Don't get me started on all the two ton Annies around here that ride the complimentary scooter for the handicapped simply because they're too lazy to walk, as if they couldn't use the exercise. I wanted to use one after I had my knee replacement, but they were all taken by these honeys.

I have pretty much given up flying, except for my annual trek to Texas to visit a friend, because of the jammed up security checkpoints and sardine can planes nowadays.

When I think of the crowded concerts, night clubs, restaurants and malls I used to frequent in my younger day, I would now rather be water boarded than go to any of them.

TWH...LOL..so nice to know we both shop in the best of places. Only country folk whose wardrobe mainly consists of demim in various degrees of dressiness would understand Christmas shopping at Tractor Supply, but they do have some pretty cool stuff there.

Black Friday...there are some seriously whacko people out there that have no values and this venue attracts the best of them. Nope, refuse to be a part of that craziness.
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Ozarkgal said:
Don't get me started on all the two ton Annies around here that ride the complimentary scooter for the handicapped simply because they're too lazy to walk, as if they couldn't use the exercise.
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Mr. TWHRider will stop at WalMart on his way home from work and that can be a bad thing if work has been particularly grueling - lollol His favorite stories are of the morbidly obese woman in sweat pants, standing in front of him at the checkout, proudly placing her full size sheet cake and two litre bottle of Coca-Cola on the counter. That was two years ago and he still rants about it - lol lol

Then there was the same body style standing in front of him, a few back, that opened the container of bread pudding and was eating it, right there in the checkout line --- at least she had a spoon - lol lol lol

What is WRONG with people? These weren't 20-something women either - at least they looked a lot older to him - lol lol

It's actually less distance from the house, for me to go into the next county and shop there. I don't see half the antics in their WalMart - lol lol And of course, TSC is always safe because the majority of folks shopping that store don't have time to eat - lol lol lol
 
Phil, you nailed it...thassa what i'm talkin' about!


TWH...the bread pudding gal was not likely from Arkansas or she wouldn't have had that spoon. Gotta love the Walmartians.
Got to shop both Walmart and the co-op today, after a 2/12 hour wait for my dr. appt. That's another thread!
 
I feel bad for all the obese children I see out there shopping, bad start to life, IMO. :( Gotta blame the parents, buying cases of soda and Little Debbies. :rolleyes:
 
TWHRider said:
I have never been a big crowd person but, oddly enough, I became really claustrophobic in large crowds after I lost my son in the car accident. No rhyme or reason for that one.

With Christmas coming, I will make every effort to get everything I need from WalMart, Tractor Supply and the local feed store, well in advance. I have no desire to fight some of those brawling lunatics. If I could get to the stores really early, it would help but, with four horses that's impossible. I bring everyone in at night and I'm not about to leave horses locked in their stalls, completely unattended, while I hurry up and run to town at seven in the morning. Mr. TWHRider leaves for work at 6:45 AM, so the stores have to wait until I get my barn chores done. Hopefully the parking lots aren't too full by then and I can quickly get what I need and "get the flock out of there" as my Ex used to say - lol lol
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Hi TWH ! :)

I know this was posted a long time , ago...but I am up late, due to insomnia. I worked all night in my last job and I never have gotten myself back to normal hours..... I just have a couple of comments about this post. First of all, have you considered doing your shopping on line? second: Your claustrophobia, after your son died, maybe could have been PTS?
i.e."Post Traumatic Stress"! I have been trying to understand why some of my "moms" I worked with, as a Post Partum Doula, got postpartum depression. They don't know what causes it....perfectly happy, healthy women just "go nuts"? But, I noticed one thing they all had in common.....some MAJOR TRAUMA in their past. One lady's dad just unexpectedly dropped dead from a heart attack when she was about 13...her family was so unprepared they lost everything. ETC. When a women gives birth, her whole physical being goes through a tsunami....hormones especially....and it leaves us kinda "unglued" or out of balance...most make it through this transition okey....but for those who have had some "repressed trauma", in their past......in this "time of weakness"....(i.e. the pressure of giving birth....)the "cat comes out of the bag"...I can't explain very well, but I'll bet, though your situation was different, when we are in a "vulnerable state", (in your case: major overload of trauma!) it can trigger some old insecurities or any number of emotions to come out that we might be able to control, under normal circumstances....If I am not making much sense, I probably need to "hit the hay"!:playful: I am just now reading some old posts to get to know everyone better? :rolleyes: NIGHT NIGHT TWH....
 
LOL Phil...that site about Walmart people is definitely one that I visit often, for a good laugh! (Although I've seen a lot of similar people in my local Wally World too, haha!)

I thought I was the only one who didn't like crowds as I've gotten older. I too thought nothing of attending concerts at Madison Square Garden when I was younger, the Centrum in Worcester Massachusetts and any other concert venue...the holiday rush of people packing the stores never bothered me.

Now, I get nervous if there's too many people around when I'm out at the stores. I've even gone so far as to go shopping at Walmart at 3 A.M. with my husband, just to avoid the places where it's crowded. I often joke that I'm getting claustrophobic and maybe I am....but yes, I've gotten more uneasy being around a lot of people, especially in shops.
 
I no longer like the crowds because I don't like getting bumped into and so many people don't look where they're going. It's overwhelming for me too anymore.
 
Elzee said:
My husband and I went to a shopping plaza, just for a night out. They have several nice outdoor sitting areas with fireplaces and it's just a nice place for a stroll and to get a hot cup of tea or coffee on a cool autumn evening. This is in Texas, so it's cool but not cold. But we didn't realize on that Saturday night, it was the opening of Santa's Workshop and the lightening of the Christmas tree. My oh my, what a huge crowd and I just felt a little overwhelmed. I realized that when I was younger, the crowds would be exciting. But, now we are planning our outing to avoid the crowds. Does anyone else feel the same way with crowds?
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"Back in the day" when I was much younger I remember taking my family to the plaza in front of the Philadelphia art museum on July 4th 1976 and enjoying a concert by ELO with a finish of massive fireworks overhead of more than a million people.

In 2002 I moved into the woods of Northern Alaska to live totally off grid.... no running water, electricity or phone and the nearest neighbor down the mountain more than a mile away.

so the answer is yes I feel that way
but now too old to handle the work needed to live out there
like yourself I am living in Texas,
but my soul remains
in Alaska..
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Ginger said:
Hi TWH ! :)

I know this was posted a long time , ago...but I am up late, due to insomnia. I worked all night in my last job and I never have gotten myself back to normal hours..... I just have a couple of comments about this post. First of all, have you considered doing your shopping on line? second: Your claustrophobia, after your son died, maybe could have been PTS?
i.e."Post Traumatic Stress"! I have been trying to understand why some of my "moms" I worked with, as a Post Partum Doula, got postpartum depression. They don't know what causes it....perfectly happy, healthy women just "go nuts"? But, I noticed one thing they all had in common.....some MAJOR TRAUMA in their past. One lady's dad just unexpectedly dropped dead from a heart attack when she was about 13...her family was so unprepared they lost everything. ETC. When a women gives birth, her whole physical being goes through a tsunami....hormones especially....and it leaves us kinda "unglued" or out of balance...most make it through this transition okey....but for those who have had some "repressed trauma", in their past......in this "time of weakness"....(i.e. the pressure of giving birth....)the "cat comes out of the bag"...I can't explain very well, but I'll bet, though your situation was different, when we are in a "vulnerable state", (in your case: major overload of trauma!) it can trigger some old insecurities or any number of emotions to come out that we might be able to control, under normal circumstances....If I am not making much sense, I probably need to "hit the hay"!:playful: I am just now reading some old posts to get to know everyone better? :rolleyes: NIGHT NIGHT TWH....
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That's a very interesting theory. Many people underestimate the effects of giving birth. Just because a woman can be back on her feet within 24 hours doesn't mean everything is back to normal. Doctors used to say it takes a whole year to recover, and if a woman committed a crime during that year, it was judged to be the effect of giving birth.
 
I agree with Furryanimal. I like the energy of a large crowd. It invigorating, I don't think I would like them to show up for breakfast, but every now, and then, they are tolerable.
 

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