When I was a little girl we were poor and weird. Double whammy. A disconnected phone or a temporary lack of electricity were small inconveniences that we just shrugged off and moved on from. I thought it was perfectly normal for your parent to take you to strange chanting gurus to whom you would have to bring bizarre offerings such as linen napkins, a pear or incense in lieu of a cash payment. Having a handful of pot seeds crunch and pop between your teeth as a snack or getting your school clothes at the Salvation Army were all common place in my world, and not at all odd or out of place. And yes my friends, a family of four can in fact live on fried egg sandwiches alone for extended periods of time. It is possible, and I am living proof.
Times are tough right now for most and I sympathies with those feeling the crunch of these four horsemen of the apocalypse economic times. I grew up under conditions that most people are just now having to adjust to. Some are fairing better than others- those willing to bend and stretch to meet their new situation- while others are stamping their feet and pulling hissy fits because frivolous shopping can no longer be used as an extra curricular activity and $8 coffees are no longer a realistic way to start each and every day. Contrary to my naturally pessimistic views I chose to look on the bright side because we’re here and lamenting it won’t change a goddamn thing. if you need a nudge in the “bright side” direction, consider this;
It’s the time to downsize the mountains of useless crap you’ve probably accumulated through out the years, a great time to get back to the essentials, and to use your imagination to find pleasure in the simple things. I’m not saying that the nutty soft flavor of a cracking pot seed is necessarily your kind of thing, but the memory of that taste takes me back to a time when things were a little more basic and a little less flashy. We’ve forgotten how to entertain ourselves. For those who have never had to, this is going to be an ass kicking and humiliating transition. For those of us who are familiar with having nothing yet never feeling as though we’re lacking, it’s a reminder of the difference between need and want.
