Yeah, but I’ve had plans of moving from my state for my entire life. I was making strides during COVID and then seemingly lost all the progress I had made when the “normal” returned for most people. I thought I had broken through, but I think I was randomly just lucky during that time, since I’ve been unable to adjust to what people consider normal (this was the case before COVID, too). So even walks feel like a prison since they remind me of where I live and my failures. Of course, I do try to focus on positives, like kitties that like me enough to say hi, chatting with neighbors (I’ve found most people in my area are coldly aloof and it takes a lot to get through someone’s wall). I realize I’m not defined by my failures, too.

In many rural areas, no. Even midsized us cities have some neighborhoods you can’t leave by walking. These neighborhoods usually have only one or two exits and the exits are things like highways or other high speed limit, no sidewalk roads.