Thanksgiving

So, yesterday was Thanksgiving. A pretty common thing to do is to think about and maybe share with your friends and family things you are thankful for. Maybe its your relationship with them. Maybe it is your health, your material blessings, your country, etc. It is also becoming increasingly popular to go shopping the day after (today) and immerse yourself in consumerism. Companies scratch and claw for your business. What used to be just one day (Black FRIDAY) dedicated to bringing the retail books into the black has gradually creeped into Thanksgiving day itself. We had 24 hours dedicated to pausing and reflecting, as a nation, on the things we have to be thankful for. That has now shortened into 20 hours with many, many stores opening at 8pm. Are we so materialistic and so "stuff driven" that we can't wait 4 hours? I know the answer is, if you don't like it, don't go shopping at 8PM. I 100% agree with that sentiment. The problem is that consumerism is like crack in our society. We are so addicted to our stuff that if we think we can get 4 more hours of it, we ARE going to take it.

Anyway, this blog is not intended to rail on retailers for serving the drug to the vein of America. I am talking to individuals. Spend time with your families. Allow others to spend time with their families. Be thankful for the things we forget about and take for granted on a daily basis. We worship at the foot of consumerism all the time. Spend the 24 hours not doing that. Just give it a try next year.

On a different note but somewhat related. Some of you are probably formulating your New Year resolutions. Let me encourage you not to wait until January 1. There is nothing magical about that date. If you are going to quit smoking, go to the gym, be nicer to others, work harder, eat more salads, whatever, go ahead and start now. Why wait?