Where Have You Gone, Bob Brown? Feb.20, 2010

Even though I pay for it in fatigue later in the day, I like getting out before dawn on Saturdays when I have to be to work early. By early, I mean 8a.m., which while earlier than my usually scheduled arrival time of 10a.m., or even 2p.m., is typical for many.

And since I have to get up at least four hours in advance, just so I can get in six miles, it means I have the streets almost entirely to myself. So,I can run right down Metcalf Avenue, which I did this morning. If I even tried that later in the day, I'd be Beamer Bait for some clown late for his date with the Starbucks drive-thru.

There used to be a Chrysler dealership south of 91st Street on Metcalf. I only noticed this morning that it was gone. I drive past that enormous lot nearly every day, and its glaring absence was never apparent. It must have been one of the many dealerships slated to be closed as part of the Chrysler restructuring. It went all the way to 93rd Street, almost a quarter of a mile. What else can fill all that space? They're not likely to put a shipyard in there. Or an amusement park.

Salespersons, sales managers, car washers, mechanics. They would all have had to find other work somewhere else. Lives disrupted, or even destroyed. Plans put on hold, or canceled. Have they been able to successfully take up at another dealership, or have they taken themselves in new directions? Maybe started businesses of their own. Or, are they still searching?

Momentous events sometimes happen right in front of us, and we're not even aware of them. Little tragedies, or triumphs, that go on all the time. Sometimes they make it into the media, and sometimes they don't. There is no telling how long it would have taken me to notice the dealership was gone, if I hadn't run past its former location a couple of hours before sunrise on a Saturday in February. It's somewhat depressing to think that I could be so wrapped up in my life, that I would miss something of such importance to so many people.

Thanks for reading.