Black Friday Observations

Greetings Dear Reader,

I spent the day yesterday out and about but not shopping.  I did buy some carrots for the turkey soup I am making for Sunday.  The highlights of the day were plenty.  So were the moments when I felt deep sorrow for my fellow humans.

Since it was Friday I began with my usual time of breakfast at my favorite diner.  It was great to share the morning and the Thanksgiving stories of the regulars there.  Next I got to share some time with my Daughter, Christmas giving her a lift to work.

From there I went to my customary Black Friday Bell Ringing place.  Here the day begins to be less than usual.  First, the bell ringing station had no bell.  That is one hundred percent of the task.  One goes bell ringing to ring a bell in hopes that others will share some of their funds for the needs of others.  This is the Salvation Army and they usually get it right.  But there was not bell, so I sang.  I have been told that I can do this and one pretty young lady did put a very large bill into the kettle and said I have a beautiful voice.  Perhaps the missing bell was a boon.

As I was singing a slow haunting rendition of God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen, a “lady” walked in and started yelling at me because all the Wal-Marts were out of the cheap big-screen televisions.  She seemed to have a condition where every second word was “F###ing”.  When I told her that I did not work at Wal-MartI was told to “’F’ get ‘F’ away.”   She moved on to the greeter for whom I feel great sorrow.

Then to my joy my friends Adam and Matt showed up to say hello.  They were looking for bits and bobs to fix the casing at their parents’ home.  The joy with which this filled me is inexpressible.  This led to further joy later in the day but we are not there yet.

I visited the grocer to obtain the carrots for my soup and encountered one of the young ladies who works at the store crying in the soda isle.  We talk almost every time I am at the store so I ask what the matter might be.  She explained that a customer had been very rude and crude toward her because the sale on Pepsi products had ended.  Seeking to comfort with humor I inquired if she had been promoted to “Regional Pepsi Pricer.”  

She chuckled through tears.  Hugged me then began to apologize.  I explained that I felt honored that she would be real with me.  The she chuckled again and I explained that in my family we call the time when we are both crying and laughing “crafing”.   I explained that it is a marker to the path out of sorrow.  She smiled fully as the last tear drifted down her cheek.  I went on to find my carrots thankful that she was feeling better and wondering if the TV “lady”.

I drifted through some other shops not buying but passing our smiles for free.  Then my friend Adam arranged for he, his wife Cole and their children to dine with us.  We met early and had a wonderful meal.  My Daughter Christmas and I had a great time catching up with them and getting to know their very well-behaved children well.  Encounters with this man and his family are always a blessing for me. 

I am always astounded at how refreshing it is to go out on Black Friday with no agenda but to be kind to others.  It sets my heart in motion to journey toward Christmas with the proper attitude.  When the shopping list is carrots and kindness it is quite easy to have a successful Black Friday.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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