The Man In The Parking Lot

At Smart Marketing, we have been lucky. (Touch wood.)

Our business, which is national and not local, has been strong. (Throw salt over left shoulder.)

We have continued to grow. (Turn around three times and spit.)

But for many of our friends and neighbors, things are very tough. The local economy is based on the real estate industry and tourism. Both are in the tank, real estate grievously so. The trickle-down effect is enormous. If you work in real estate sales, or you work in construction, or you work in a lamp store, a furniture store, a linen store; if you are an architect or interior designer, or own a lunch truck...right now, in Southwest Florida, you are getting clobbered. Or you are going out of business. Or you are declaring bankruptcy and moving to another state.

Perhaps you saw President Obama’s visit to Fort Myers, the next city over from us in Naples. Or maybe you read this article in The New York Times, about another of our neighboring cities, Lehigh Acres.

The father of my son’s best friend was an $80,000 a year construction supervisor. He told me on Monday that he has been sleeping in his car and is down to his last $25.

Tuesday night I had dinner in Fort Myers. I couldn’t finish my meal and asked to take the rest home in a “doggy bag” (in reality, a Styrofoam box). As I left the restaurant, something happened that had never happened to me before. A man approached me in the parking lot and asked if he could have the food. I handed him the box, got in my car, and drove home, feeling fortunate, guilty, and pensive.

The man hadn’t looked like a beggar or a drug addict or a bum.

He looked a lot like you and me.

Comments

[Gabriel Cheong]

That is such a sad story. Fortunately in America, we don't have encounters like that often.

When I took my last trip to China, specifically Shanghai, what you were describing happens daily and in every single restaurant. Homeless people come INTO the restaurant right after you finish eating just to pick up scraps and then quickly leave. What shocked me, and what didn't shock anyone else at the restaurant, is that that behavior was totally tolerated and normal. I hope it doesn't come to that here in the US.

[Jim Reed]

Mark:

So sad...and we are seeing the same thing here in Upstate N.Y.. Let us all be thankful for our good fortune and mindful to assist those less fortunate....

Jim Reed
N.Y. & PA Injury Lawyer
www.NYInjuryLawBlog.com

[Bob Kraft]

Thank you for sharing the stories Mark. This helps put our own relatively small problems into perspective.

[Jay S. Fleischman]

There's a song by Kirsty MacColl that has been bouncing around in my head for the past 6 months: "From an uptown apartment to a knife on the A train, it's not that far."

Always serves to remind me that when we are nice and warm tonight, watching Leno or Conan, we may be on the other side of the window tomorrow.

[Mark Merenda]

I agree, success is never permanent. You have to get up the next morning and do it again.