"the economy"

Even though we hear daily about the hardships our fellow citizens are experiencing, I think most times it doesn't really register. Now it has a face for me. A neighbor, a 59-year-old woman, went to work one morning and soon thereafter walked out, "pink slip" clutched in her hand. Laid off. I can't imagine the panic she must have felt. In a town with no jobs. And even if she were in a town with jobs, perhaps not being hired because of her age. Certainly not legal, but certainly practiced by many employers with the ability to circumvent such laws. Then another disaster. Her car lease was up, and she didn't qualify to buy it because she has no job. Now no transportation. Two days ago, her TV broke. No money to have it repaired. A previously independent woman having to rely on others. Going to the grocery, going to the post office, etc., etc., etc. We all do these mundane tasks, taking our ability to do them for granted.

Yesterday she got her unemployment check, and I took her to the grocery. I walked through the aisles with her as she added amounts in her head and took things off shelves and put them back because the price was more than she could afford.

I think about her a lot now. And all the other people in similar circumstances. There's a lesson in it for me. For all of us.