It’s true: I don’t have a nanny, ironer or cleaning lady. I don’t play golf, don’t own an Audi TT or a Bottega Veneta handbag and I can pronounce “Moët Chandon” correctly with a hard “t”, but I can’t pay it. Nevertheless, I am a luxury woman. As I know since yesterday.
Yesterday I met a group of experts on all aspects of life: my three best friends. Over a round of tapas, we spent what felt like three and a half minutes on the subject of the “financial crisis”. After that it was clear: Nadja and Susanne are complaining at a high level, Bettina and I are not affected because our financial crisis is of a permanent nature. Best example: Despite the sensational exchange rate, none of us go to London to shop. Some can’t find a suitable date, others don’t have the euros with which to buy the cheap pound. It only got interesting when Bettina asked a question: “What does luxury actually mean to you?”
Susanne mentioned the first key word: “time”.
Don’t live according to the rhythm of a salaried job year after year, but just sit in the sun with a chai latte on a Monday morning. Incidentally, a form of luxury that most multi-billionaires cannot afford: captains of industry or top models rarely rave about their yacht berths in St. Tropez. Instead, they whine into every reporter’s microphone that they don’t have time for their families . Every mother has it better during the baby break. And every freelancer who, like Susanne, decides to go to the sea on Wednesdays because she wants to feel a bit of sand between her toes.
Nadja thought of something else: “For me, it’s a luxury to speak my mind. To stay with me, even if it is uncomfortable for the other person. Or if it’s my boss that I criticize.” Unspectacular? Not at a time when all large companies are threatening a dramatic cut. Undauntedly taunting instead of falling into rigid fear – you have to be able to afford that. And want.
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Showing off is out: According to a recent study by the Society for Consumer Research, as early as 2008, Germans only spent 1 percent of their budget on classic luxury items such as watches and jewelry. Trend in the crisis year 2009: Luxury for eating. Instead of larger purchases and expensive restaurant visits, good food for the home is becoming increasingly important.
And for once, she didn’t mean her current lover’s bag of tricks. “I used to spend all my money on travel,” she explained, “now a great book is enough for me.” Understandable: a five-star trip in your head is almost free, requires no malaria prophylaxis, and you sleep at night anyway preferably in your own bed.We ordered Boquerones, Croquetas de Ave and Manchego cheese and chatted warmly. And we were amazed at how much luxury we had left in times of crisis. Homemade bread, a foot massage from a loved one, a baby sleeping eight hours straight for the first time. My personal top three: my apartment, from which you can walk to both the Elbe beach and the nicest alternative shopping area in Hamburg in ten minutes. The fact that I sometimes write a short story without knowing whether someone will print it afterwards, whether it will bring money or recognition – simply because writing makes me happy. And: a handful of friends with whom I can share a large plate of tapas at any time. financial crisis or not.
