On Monday of this week, the repercussions of the recession – or economic downturn or whatever you want to call it — resounded much closer to home for me, literally. The plywood mill which employed 125 people in our small town of 2,000 announced it had closed for an indefinite period of time. Workers said they had not received any warning of the move, and with the nationwide stall in construction, it’s likely that those jobs are gone, for all practical matters, for good.

That same afternoon I got a call from my newlywed daughter in Chicago, telling me she had just been laid off from the job she’d held in the publishing industry for almost two years. She and the other employees let go that day accounted for about 10 percent of the office’s workforce. While Sarah was given about a month’s salary in severance pay and assured she would receive excellent references, they hardly assure us that she will rapidly find work again in her field — or in any job that will make use of her four-year private college education. Since arriving in the Windy City almost three years ago, she has done all the right things to make connections professionally and personally, so she goes forth on her job search armed not only with her skills, smarts and resume but also with a few potential leads. Until (when, not if!) she steps on that next rung of her career ladder, though, she knows she will likely be holding down some part-time jobs to help pay the bills.

While the evening news brings us headlines of the collapse of large retailers like Circuit City and trouble for yet another banking giant, we should remember that for each of those, there are hundreds if not thousands of unreported stories of small businesses closing or laying off workers. These have an enormous impact on their communities and the lives of all those suddenly un- or underemployed.

Flipping through a magazine last week, I scanned a page on which the editor asked a number of celebrities what they were doing differently in response to the shift in the economy. One reply, by a young actor I did not recognize (I realize I have reached that age where I do not fit the demographic at which a whole slew of programming is targeted), made me want to reach into the picture and grab him by his couture lapels and give him a shake. He said he was going to eat out less often and cook at home. Well, fine if he wants to hone those domestic skills, but doesn’t he realize the biggest  contribution he can make to this economy is to go out and spend some of that ridiculous salary he gets (note I did not say “earns”)?

I’m not suggesting that anyone spend beyond their means or consume frivolously or gluttonously. At the same time, it seems that for those of us that have the security of a steady income and savings, we should continue to support the businesses in our communities who rely on our patronage. Fewer diners mean restaurants hire fewer waitresses, bartenders, cooks and dishwashers. Shops that see a drop in revenue must lower their overhead, and so clerks and stockroom personnel see their hours reduced or jobs eliminated. Those folks are all our neighbors, our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters.

So if you can, go buy a book at the local booksellers. Buy those new tires the car needs, and get a tune-up while you’re at it. Treat yourself to a massage or manicure. Take in a movie (be sure to buy some popcorn from the high school student at the refreshment counter), and then go have a nice dinner at the restaurant down the street. And please, tip generously . . . if you’re somewhere in the Chicago area, your waitress could be my daughter!

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader