Enjoying Life

I have never set foot near a store on Black Friday. I had heard too many horror stories about people entering the shopping vortex to be sucked down into the swirling consumerism, never to emerge again. However, my dear son Matt is a shopaholic, and loves deals, and he wanted to go shopping on Black Friday. And since I wanted to eek every last minute I could with my dear son, Asherel and I decided to join him. Arvo has an affliction known as "mall-walkingitis", and his little sore feet and he stayed home.

I did have a small list of things I needed, so with list in hand and my most comfortable shoes, we headed off to the hurricane force storm of shoppers.

I came away pleasantly surprised. First, no one was crushed to death by wild eyed consumers elbowing Grandma out of the way to grab the last "buy one get one free".  The sales people were unwaveringly friendly. When I produced my license as my ID for a purchase, I asked wistfully, "Does this still look like me?" (the license is a few years old.)
"Oh yes!" the two cashiers exclaimed, bending their heads over my photo, "Your hair is just shorter in this picture."
"I know....." I mused, "Do you think I look better in short hair?"
They peered at me and at the picture and then both agreed that yes, I did look better in short hair.
Drat! Just when I found a slightly longer style that I like and thought was becoming.
I was going to ask them which pair of jeans might look best on me, and if I should perhaps forgo contacts at my age and move on to trifocals, but the person behind me politely reminded me that "fashion advisory" was the next booth over.

The sales were amazing and I did finish every last bit of my Christmas shopping. I begin to see why Black Friday has such allure.  All my life I have been making fun of the sorry pieces of humanity that race out to buy, buy, buy. And while I still think that there is much more to life than buying things, Black Friday shopping ventures with loved ones is actually not really all about consumerism. The three of us had such fun wandering the aisles of goods, laughing, picturing a loved one in some outrageous outfit, fingering the $1500 dress Matt would love to buy his fiancee (but wisely didn't....couldn't....)  It is more about the joy of the hunt in a generation that no longer needs to shoot dinner, and the camaraderie in the pursuit. I realized that I am far too judgmental (again!) over things I don't quite relate to or haven't experienced. Goodness can indeed be found almost anywhere you look.

What would God think about Black Friday? The term originated in 1869 to describe the financial crisis in the US, but later was expanded to a more positive interpretation. On Black Friday, retailers make a profit, often for the first time of the year, and thus the "red ink" accounting of negative finances is replaced by black ink of profitability. I suspect that God would look at the motives of each shopper to determine His approval.

As we were crawling in a line of traffic to park, I saw a homeless man walk by the van in front of us. His clothes were tattered, his face grim and glassy eyed, his arms encircling a sign proclaiming his destitute status. The van driver rolled down his window and handed the man a bag and a rolled up blanket. The bag was filled with food, the blanket neatly tied with a ribbon. I felt certain the bag had a little note reminding the man that all is not lost, Jesus loves Him! I surmised that from the Christian bumper stickers on the van.

The whole day left a happy glow in my heart. I had been in the company of loved ones, I had gotten free hair advice, and I had seen an act of gentle, largely unnoticed kindness to a stranger down on his luck. I think God might be saying, "It's ok, just don't let it become the focus. In all things, give thanks!"

Ecclesiastes 8:15 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹⁵ So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.