Many years ago, a conscious decision was made to not participate in anything Black Friday. 10 years deep into that commitment and still no regrets. Most of my angst comes from social media and hits my core with disgust.
Disgust from the selfies of you and your family standing in front of your brand-new Tahoe (making sure you get that temporary tag in the photo) loaded down with all the stuff you bought on Black Friday. Exclaiming how this is the epitome of family time and the best of traditions. To top it off, you arrive home and post photos of your 3 trees in front of your 3 fireplaces with the photos positioned to be able to see your pool through the windows. Who are the Jones’es anyway is on full display. This is not jealousy; it is pure disgust and the entitlement culture on full display.
I took a photo recently from a Thanksgiving meal giveaway at the DeSoto County Dream Center that has haunted me since I took it. You may see three happy little girls, but if you look closer you will see a 10-year-old girl who has the weight of the world on her shoulders. These 7 children who are in the custody of and being raised by 80-year-old grandmother would not understand the concept of stuffing a Tahoe on Black Friday. The 1990’s van that the family was driving was held together by a wing and a prayer. I asked the girls if they were excited for Thanksgiving, and they just beamed with happiness. They asked what was in the boxes of food and as I told them, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that grandma was tearing up. Grandma looked right at me with a huge smile and said, “we usually don’t have Thanksgiving dinner because we can’t afford the extra food for that day.” Do you want to know what the kids were most excited for? The fact that they had full size marshmallows in the box of food. What if our day was made by just a full-sized marshmallow and not a Tahoe loaded with useless things.
Black Friday is such a cliché.
Because only in america people trample each other for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have
~UNKNOWN
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Making of a Minimalist 