Tales from the Chair Chapter 15

Everyday I hear it.  I need to cancel, sorry I just don't have the money right now.  Or, I/my spouse just lost their job.  We just lost our house.  We walked away/ did a short sale.  My client "Haley" was sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner when the knock on her door changed the mood of the day.......3 day notice to vacate.  Yup 3 days, she had no idea her boyfriend was even behind on the mortgage, he, too embarrassed to tell her.  It took her, him, their family and friends the whole 3 days and on that Sunday, the police came and locked them out just to make sure.  Really 3 days.  When she had all her hours cut back to 20 hrs. a week and he, a barber, is in the same boat I am in, only he only does cuts at $12 a piece, mainly on older men.  He doesn't have greying women to fall back on like I do.

Same day, my new client and friend "Tim"  told me he has been late on his lease payment for his condo every month so far,  he moved up here for a job with a 2 year contract that has recently been laying everyone off and they cut his hours in half.  His family lives in Mexico, he has no one and may not have a roof over his head soon with nowhere to go.

I can't tell you how this breaks my heart.  I hear it all day long.  I myself am late on our house payment.  What can I do, if the money is not there, it just isn't there.  I guess right now we are most of us in this position.  I could cry about it, but I just hug my clients and tell them to keep their head up, we are all struggling right now.  I was really scared about losing my house that I have put so much of our money and hearts into but you know what?  I could still be happy in a 2 bedroom apartment if I had to,  life teaches us lessons the hard way.  All the money we have saved is gone and now all of our credit card are maxed out but I have my family and my health and that is all that really matters isn't it?  We have a roof over our heads for now, if we get one of those notices on our door I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.  For now we are swimming up stream and I don't even know how to swim, but I am learning.