Mother's Day in the Hood
In my neighborhood, people are often a little short on cash. I know this because of houses that need new roofs and paint jobs; because of cars that stay dented when folks in middle-class hoods would use their insurance money to fix 'em. People in my area either don't have insurance or have more pressing needs than fixing a dented car door.
And I also know this because of the creative entrepreneurship that springs up whenever a major holiday is near. Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Easter, Halloween, Dad's Day, Christmas, you name it -- even 4th of July turns some hard-working homies into shopkeepers.
All along High Street and 35th Avenue, clever people set up their tables and their white tents, and set out their gift creations. You can buy huge baskets stuffed with plush animals, candy, fake flowers, encased in tinted cellophane ruffles. You can buy a lavish floral arrangement big enough to take to a funeral. You can buy a little stuffed bear adorned with a candy necklace and a lollipop. There are gifts for all budgets and levels of admiration.
I'm amazed at the level of sheer inventiveness in my neighborhood. No one wants to hear about poor folks, and the troublemakers of the area get so much publicity. But the plain working class people don't get enough attention, in all their struggles to survive and thrive and make it all come out even at the end of the month.