Wow! I feel like you've copied something right out of my very own playbook!! LOL Some of my family members expressed the same thing, "don't give in to the walker too soon". And what it boils down to is this, if you feel better with it, more comfortable, you need it. It's hard I know, I always battle with second guessing myself. And you are right, you may not always need the walker. When I shop, the cart is enough support for me to make it through the store. Now there are other times, like when I go to the mall and know I will be doing a lot of walking I use my rollator. When I go places that I'm only doing very little walking from point A to point B I'll just use my cane. The important thing is that you are comfortable. Take care!