Fortune telling, repairing shoes, and selling bread: How to survive hard times

Fortune telling in Singapore

20 years ago a man sitting on Jackson Square reading tarot cards offered what he considered sound advice for getting through hard times.  Originally from Russia, where he had been a circus performer, then trained as a technical support person with computers, he had lost his job and like others in the same position had to find some way to make a living.  So he and his wife opened up shop telling fortunes in many languages on a street corner in New Orleans, making what he observed was a good living doing what he said people in Russia did during post-World War II hard times.

Edward R, whose name has long been forgotten in the years that have passed since a journalist watched and wondered about how a man of obviously good intelligence ended up on the streets of New Orleans reading tarot cards.  His lesson on re-inventing oneself, however, is timely and appropriate, in spite of the years that have passed since Russian hard times and how much jobs have changed.

What Edward said was this:  Those who told fortunes, repaired shoes and sold bread were the ones who survived economic hardships.  These are, of course, concrete suggestions, but on another level they are symbolic of what someone needs to do in order to make money when the economy is in crisis.

Telling fortunes with tarot cards is a skill someone can learn in a matter of days, if not hours, at least with an instructional guide.   Someone who tells fortunes must show some level of accuracy, and to be accurate must be observant of people behavior.  That way the fortune can match the person.  Most people enjoy knowing something good but more than that something he or she believes is particularly special and secret.  When that secret is revealed, then the magic becomes real.  The fortune teller looks at facial expressions, clothing, and listens to introductory remarks as well as observing other details that might include the behavior of the person's companion, the style of speech, and even the way an individual holds the body and gestures.  All of this adds up to good generalizations that might fit almost anybody but become more tailor-made by the fortune tellers ability to analyze the appearance and behavior and provide that good fortune for the customer.  But more than just fortune-telling, it is what it represents that matters.

The fortune teller offers hope, the ability to unlock secrets, to bring something somewhat mysterious and different into everyday life.  That fortune teller can be the inspirational speaker, musician, poet, teacher, counselor who has thethe art ability to use the best of the fortune teller qualities to enhance existing skills and get the job.  The motivator, the person who says he or she can help you when everyone else seems unwilling to try, and that offers a different way of doing things can often be the individual hired for the job.  The fortune teller is also entertaining in a creative and different way and gives people something they can take with them.  Entertainment that offers good memories, something to savor at the moment and then again later, is often the kind people look for when they have little themselves, as it offers an escape.  So activities that allow people to experience diversion from their everyday lives can often lead to a profitable enterprise.

The person who repairs shoes represents those businesses that accent retaining and reusing materials.  Second hand stories even in uptown neighborhoods can prosper during hard times as people look for bargains without having to spend as much money.  That designer dress that is not affordable new can be found somewhat worn but still attractive. So chic can mean a dress at a second-hand store.   The chair outside the antique store might need a new cushion, so those who sell fabric and easy instructions for recovering furniture can also be successful in hard times.

Finally those who sell food, especially the basic necessities, are clearly in demand much of the time.  When times are hard, however, those basics are the first items people look for in grocery stores.  Folks will reach for the bread and rice and potatoes that can fill the stomach and not harm the pocketbook.  Special breads that offer a special taste but still aren't expensive can do well.    But those who sell bread are more than just sellers of bread.  They represent folks who offer items people need frequently and must have in order to survive.  And they offer the fundamental items that are particularly important when people can't afford luxuries.

The wisdom of the fortune-teller offers advice we can all use during hard times.  In his case, his grandmother had once told fortunes in Russia; and she had helped support the family during hard times.  Using his wisdom others can find economic justice and that special niche to survive and even prosper.