I'm actually only half-joking. I have no illusions that I was keeping these businesses afloat. But it is easy to see how this long-standing economic crisis keeps plugging along. I am, clearly, far from the only person who finds herself cutting back on non-essentials. There are very few who I know who haven't been touched by the economy today. And, as a result, people cut back on pedicures and ice cream and highlights--all of the fun stuff in life. And then the people who provided those services are touched by the economy and THEY cut back on stuff. And so on. This is all stuff that you know, of course. I just find it fascinating to think about the personal relationships that I had acquired over the years and how those are missed dearly as we;;.
Take, for example, my esthetician Marta. In essence, she does facials and waxing and stuff like that. That's right--I miss the wax lady. Marta is a freaking genius. Even a friend who didn't at the time live in Chicago made sure to get to Marta when she visited. She was a wonder with the wax. But more than that, she is an awesome person. Marta has family near mine, she has hopes and dreams and she is generally just a nice person. Plus she told me dirt about the people in the city that she encountered, the stories about which would make your toes curl. I miss Marta.
When I headed out, I didn't get to say goodbye to Marta. Or the Japanese couple who ran the dry cleaners. Or the barrista at Julius Meinl who had a daughter just a month older than my son. Or the nice Pakistani guy who sold me my lottery tickets. Will their lives go on without me? I'm guessing most likely. I suspect that they couldn't care less that I have not been to see them recently. But I hope somehow they know that I do miss them. Crazy. What a sap. But they were a part of my life. And I wish them well.
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