I am imagining writing this blog in 1972 (an essay or missive back then) when this journey of mine first began.
Richard Nixon was the President with the promise of ending the Vietnam War. Chaos reigned in his administration which ultimately ended in his resignation.
I was struggling to pay the rent at that time; in fact, I once used the coin bank of the store to pay the landlord the monthly rent in rolls of quarters and dimes. That landlord saw something in me when I asked to postpone a scheduled increase in the rent, and he acquiesced until such time as I could afford to pay. Four or five months later, I called the landlord and advised him that I could pay the rent with the promise I wouldn’t pay the rent in rolls of quarters and dimes. He was quite surprised that I volunteered to pay the increase without any prodding. I guess his faith and trust in me paid off.
Fast forward to 2020. Donald Trump is the President who promises to end endless wars. Chaos reigned in his administration with key members of his cabinet and high-level advisors coming and going. Unfortunately, he was saddled with a war of another kind –– the Covid-19 virus.
Now, here we are, 48 years later struggling to pay the rent, we are duplicating what we asked for back then; this time not only a postponement of rent increases, but a reduction in the rent as well –– coming on the heels of a precipitous drop in sales revenues. And although in both cases it was exhausting and an uphill battle, I was 48 years younger back then and had a lot more fight in me. How this will end no one knows for sure but in less than 63 days we will learn who will be presiding over this country.
As I urge you to support your favorite local restaurant and delicatessen, I also urge you to vote and be counted.
See ya at the deli.
Simply,
Ronnie
