She is 92 years old and she has seen everything. Today she lives in an upscale nursing facility. I called her this morning for a brief phone interview and after a few moments of conversation, I realized this old woman really had seen everything.
She was born the same year the Great Depression began. She experienced hard times, world war, the death of children, abject poverty, prohibition.
I asked how her family got through such difficult years. She laughed and said, “We just kept telling ourselves that good times were around the corner.”
Good times. Ironically, one year ago today I was wondering what would become of America’s good times. Because at exactly this time last year I was standing in a rural Mississippi gas station when first I saw a newspaper bearing the headline “COVID-19.”
I had never seen this term before. I remember feeling a sudden chill sweep over me when I saw the word “EPIDEMIC” printed in huge letters.
When I reached the cashier she was wearing a surgical
mask and gloves. I’d never known anyone to dress this way except for maybe Michael Jackson.
Within the following weeks the whole world shut down, everyone was socially distant, TV news channels were delivering round-the-clock updates on the unfolding toilet paper crisis.
“This pandemic is a lot like the Depression,” says the old woman. “All this uncertainty, all the fear in the air. Brings back a lotta bad memories.”
Of course, she’s not suggesting that the pandemic is on the same scale as the Depression. No way. Our ancestors suffered in ways that we could never understand. We are a fortunate generation, we can order instant takeout via smartphone apps. During the Depression, families were so hungry they resorted to eating shoe leather.
I once heard an elderly man say that his family survived on ketchup and creek-water soup.
I have interviewed dozens of Depression survivors. The stories…