"Botox is just something I CANNOT do without!" said my fancy friend 6 months ago. "I REFUSE to look like a hag... at ANY age!"
Her face was pristine. Flawless. When she smiled nothing moved but her mouth. I thought she was beautiful (in a very 'I seriously can't tell what you're feeling sort of way').
Since then the disappointment (and lack of funds for Botox) has made her face fall. And suddenly I'm noticing a lot of older,well-to-do friends of mine with smile lines where there were none and crows feet where in the past I had not noticed the frozen state of affairs.
I look around me and see the ravages of the Recession on the upper-middle class. When the economy was good I would have convos with my friends that now make me blush. A fly on the wall would have heard phrases such as the following:
"I wouldn't be caught DEAD buying clothes in Wal-Mart! How humiliating! That's where the trashy people shop."
"I haven't scubbed a toilet in 4 years. I almost don't remember how it's done now." (That one was me...)
"I can only wear jeans that cost over $200. The quality is obvious and nothing else fits me me right. I really don't have a choice!"
"If my child wants a toy on a Tuesday for no reason and I have a spare $20 bucks it just makes sense to give her what she wants! The world is a hard place for adults. I want her childhood to be a wonderland!" (That was me too.)
A SPARE $20 BUCKS? WHAT'S THAT??? Now it sounds like 'a spare pot of gold'. I'd expect a little man dressed in green at the end of my rainbow to hand me the cash with a grin and say, "Don't spend it all in one place now!" To which I would respond gratefully, "Oh Thank You Mr. Leprechaun! You don't know what this means to me!"
I lived in a grand house with grand cleaning ladies and a grand wad of dough in my greedy, perfectly manicured hands. I would invite people to my mansion and say, "Well, why don't you come in and make yourself at home! I know your house is not nearly as fabulous as mine and my wardrobe embarrasses yours but I was once a pauper myself... Yes... it's true. I grew up in South Tucson. And I, like you, had sub-par haircuts. But you MUST understand that deep down I'm still the same humble Crys I always was."
Suddenly I see how ridiculous I was. I honestly don't miss the house at all now. In a couple days time I have shut it down. My children are safe, fed, warm and loved. I have come terms with doing my own pedicures and manicures. I expect no facials. I frequent no malls. And I'm fine.
Not to mention I have an AMAZING wardrobe which trumps the closet of anyone I've ever actually met in person. I had a good run. I'll say it again... I had a good run.
