recognizing faces
Something I crave, that I assume older generations used to have a lot more, is seeing the same person for something for 10+ years at least, usually longer.
You can tell it by the way they talk about things, the stories they tell about others and their environment. Always like: yeah that’s our guy Uwe, he’s been doing xyz for us for years! I always go to Ute for my xyz because I’ve known her for 20 years!
They befriended and knew their postman, because it was the same one for years, he spoke the language and had time to get to know his regulars. Same with the hairdresser, the local favorite café or restaurant waiters, and more.
I don’t have that experience anymore. Everything around me is ever-changing. Other people move, I move, they switch jobs, get fired, the places go out of business. My parcels get delivered by random people who can’t speak to me. Despite taking the same tram at the same time, there’s no consistency with the driver selection (and we cannot talk either way). Same with the shifts and employees of other places I frequent. People just do not stay where they are 30, 40 years anymore, privately and professionally. More people bounce between big cities.
And it’s self-reinforcing, because why feel bad about moving if you have no roots here anyway? These types of connections and interactions are your roots. But it doesn’t feel steady when everyone feels so replaceable, distant and like the shop could be gone in a few months.
Every time I go into the city, there’s a new closure and a new shop. I don’t like that. I want things to stay the same for longer, like it used to be when I was a child.