Daily Prompt: Keeping up with the Jones's

Tell us about the one luxury item you wish you could afford, in as much detail as you can. Paint a picture for us.

The last time I wrote this repeated prompt I was 67 years old, 2 years younger and it is amazing the amount of common sense you can gather in two years. When I last wrote I told everyone I was satisfied and my only wish was a cleaning lady for the bathroom. Since I have decided luxury is not one of the things necessary in daily life and this is really a stupid, silly idea for a prompt - OK my opinion. Perhaps if I was 30-40 years younger I might have other ideas.

It seems that our supermarket now wants to keep up with the Jones’s, but unfortunately it means that their staff will now have to work two hours longer on Saturday. Up to now the supermarket closed its doors at 4.o’clock p.m. on Saturday so that everyone could go home and begin their week-end. Now it has been decided, for the sake of more turnover, and perhaps even for more happier customers, that they will extend their working time 2 hours. Today I saw these two guys walking around in the hall of the supermarket to make sure everyone knows they have two hours more shopping time on Saturday.

I am glad that Mr. Swiss does my shopping on Saturday morning and that I do not have to visit this temple of shopping trials on Saturday and I ask myself why I should be glad for a two hour extra shopping opportunity at the beginning of my week-end. There seem to be no limits to doing what the others do. My step-daughter lives in Zürich and has a boutique. Her working hours are until 8 o’clock in the evening on Saturday, but Zürich is a large town which exists on this principle. Our local supermarket is not in an area that has to cope with a vast population, but I suppose we have to keep up with the others. Personally I find this a little ridiculous.

I do not know the exact conditions in the States, as most of you are situated in that big country over the pond, but at the moment we have a big problem in Europe with refugees. People that come from countries where there is a civil war, where terrorists are ruling and killing the people that do not fit into their ideas, and where a father no longer knows how to keep his wife and children safe from the daily oppressions. It is a question of existence and so these people leave their countries, leave their homes and escape for a better life to Europe which has the reputation of being safer. They are not rich people, have never known luxury, and the only luxury they now try to afford is a safe journey to the land of prosperity, be it Germany, Switzerland, England, France, Italy, Greece etc. etc. and they travel at risk. So they board a boat not suitable for carrying  so many passengers to make a safe journey and if they are lucky they arrive in the country of prosperity. Many die on the way, especially the babies and children. Eventually, with luck, some of these refugees reach a border to a “safe” European country, only to find that there is almost no more room “at the inn” and they are left in Winter conditions, standing at the border dressed in inadequate clothing and just wanting a roof over their heads and a meal for the day.

These European countries are overwhelmed, they try to do their best, but some of these countries do not have the facilities for their own people. Not all European countries swim in luxury. It hurts to see the children holding their parents hands and hoping for a better life standing in the damp colder weather. 

So please don’t ask me to name a luxury I want, because my life is luxury. I am secure in my life. I have a sickness insurance, I have a choice of supermarkets for my food and my electricity and water supplies are secure. Sorry, WordPress, but the picture I paint is a world where there are people that find that luxury is a bowl of soup, or a warm bed and I do not find this a suitable subject for a prompt under the present conditions.