Black Friday. I’m going to come right out there and say I don’t do Black Friday. Actually, this day when there is a frenzy to be the ultimate consumer and spend, spend, spend on supposed bargains bothers the heck out of me.
I do not shop on this day — I stay as far away as I can from the maddening crowd. I think it brings out the worst in us humans – greed, rudeness, gluttony, overindulgence, call it whatever, and the fact that stores opened on Thanksgiving to accommodate this craziness and fill their own coffers with more money makes it even more offensive to me.
So, no, I am not thankful for Black Friday itself, but that verse that fuels my life, that one that says be thankful in all circumstances prompts me to express gratitude on this day. Yes today, Black Friday, a day that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Why? Because the consumerism of Black Friday reminds me that I already have what I need in this life and so do the ones I might Christmas shop for. It’s called life. And we here in America have it abundantly.
Please take a moment to be grateful for your life, no matter how difficult your circumstances may be, and watch the video below. I think it puts it all into perspective.
“No matter how good or bad you think your life is. Wake up each day and be thankful for life. Someone somewhere else is fighting to survive.” ~ Unknown
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Mama's Empty Nest 
I completely agree! I don’t think I would step foot in a store today if they were giving items away.
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Me either! There’s absolutely NOTHING that would make me shop on Black Friday and I’m really ticked off at all of those stores that were open on Thanksgiving Day. 😦
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This is a video every person in the ‘developed’ world should watch EVERY SINGLE DAY. Far too many people confuse ‘need’ with ‘want’ and don’t stop to realize that they already have everything (and often more than they require) that makes life worthwhile. Thanks for sharing this.
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Margo, we definitely are on the same wave length! I agree wholeheartedly with you. Our needs truly are few, it’s the ‘wanting’ that takes us over the top. Compared to third world countries, we really are gluttons and so very wasteful. I need to remind myself daily that I have all I need and I must share my blessings with those who do not. Thanks so much for your comment; I’m glad to have found someone who agrees with me. 🙂
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When my boys were young I used to take them to the toy store and ‘give’ them $100 to ‘spend’ on toys for less fortunate children (we had a ‘donation tree’ set up at the school). I still follow that tradition (our local newspaper collects toys for the local Women’s Shelter). If we don’t teach our kids that ‘its better to give than receive’ we’ve failed them.
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So true, Margo. We’ve always tried to teach our kids that too.
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