Happy Thanksgiving. Trying to navigate a holiday based on celebration, gatherings, food and connections while being held hostage by consumerism is hard - Reminder, it is called Thanks Giving for a reason. And now stepping in ever so boldly is the idea of stealing that cocoon of quality time away from us with tempting deals to buy discounted goods. I say lower prices all year round, raise minimum wages, close stores for Thanksgiving. I heard a Walmart commercial on TV last night "Black Friday deals starting Thursday 5pm!" WHAT? How can we allow this important day to chill be taken from us in this way? With so much going on in the world between the natural disasters, geopolitical strife, national tragedies involving guns, corporation malfeasance, it's hard to get in the spirit. I get it, so why not go out and just shop? But here we are folks, we can run from it or learn from it. So on Black Friday (incidentally it's my B'day), I'll be buying N0-THING, I prefer to join the Buy Nothing Day movement, not get caught up in the frenzy where I could possibly buy something because it's there to buy, sparkling in front of me, teasing me when actually if I stepped back I most likely would say, "Do I really need that new_______?" - (you fill in the blank).
I invite us all as humans not as human consumers to take a deep BREATH and express our dignity and full expression of who we really are by spending the day in connection with others or even in quality time with our selves. Imagine that?! Trungpa Rinpoche called breath "expression of our ordinary magic." So go out and breathe that magic, even for one day.
Happy Thanksgiving
As we head into our Thanksgiving celebrations, I send wishes for a peaceful time of reflection, and gathering with friends and families. I can't stand how the Black Friday consumption frenzy pulls people out of the quiet time zone into a need to get the best deal on stuff. I choose to join in the idea of buy nothing day
Try and stay away from the computer Thursday. Look to the sky, find a star, make a wish, smile at someone, anyone. Makes you feel good.
Thankful to Buy Nothing Day
Happy Thanksgiving,
I hope that you can take the time to enjoy family and friends this Thanksgiving. To all my non-American friends may this message find you able to take time to be Thankful in some way. Here in the US, I'm saddened that mega consumption, through internet sales and early store hours minutes after our meal is finished, has set a place at the table. Thanksgiving Day which has been the least capitalistic holiday of the year is being co-opted by the right to shop. Can't we have one day off people?! So between eating the cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, we'll be seduced into logging on and firing up the credit card. And 'Black Friday' lures people into impulse buying because of a discount. It gets nuttier and nuttier. We should instead be sharing a story or try to be in some kind of stillness. Friday after Thanksgiving should be a wonderful shut down day, to be whimsical, a day for reflection, not shopping, or working.
I'm loving the Buy Nothing campaign seen popping up around the net. Buy Nothing Day to give Thanksgiving new meaning. Cool People Care's Sam Davidson writes on his blog "Nada For Me," pledge to buy nothing this Friday and stay out of the shopping whirlwind.
and Adbusters who encourage a Buy Nothing Day. Adbusters uses grassroots capitalism to start business ventures, spreading indie culture and providing ever more alternatives to buying from mega corporations.
We Americans work so hard at working hard and take little time to just decompress. Now becoming contagious throughout the world, this is not some American invention we should be proud of.
So try and pledge to stay away from online sales Thursday, and the stores on Friday.
Look to the sky, find a star, make a wish, smile at someone, anyone. Makes you feel good. Or if you absolutely have to go online, watch some of my "What's Your Inspiration?" clips where I have filmed many commuters happy to chat and share their stories, their challenges and loves, and of course their inspirations.
Check out my "What's Your Inspiration?" channel on youtube.
I'll be back in the subway December 5th.
Update on 2011-12-05 21:05 by NYC Subway Girl
I've been receiving lovely comments to this posting, here's some excerpts including a wonderful Illustration from artist Dianne Engleke.
- consuming much besides food has become a drag. It's about time. Anyway, I liked your alternative and would add music, some blues, old carols, and lieder. Perfect. And some family....
- 'stay home and stay off the internet'', that's our motto!
- I love the idea of "BUY NOTHING". We need to be simpler to appreciate our lives.
- I am with you with the nada for me. I have NO intention of going anywhere near any stores this weekend
- I absolutely love the Buy Nothing Campaign, not only because it is something unique but also the cause to give Thanksgiving a different meaning.
- Those are wise words from you, for every day of the year.
image by Dianne Engleke
Wild turkeys wandering in the country
Happy Thanksgiving.
I hope that you can take the time to enjoy family and friends this Thursday. I'm saddened though that the internet is stealing Thanksgiving Day which has been the least capitalistic holiday of the year, now capitalizing on stores being closed with tempting discounts and no lines. Can't we have one day off people?! So between eating the cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, we'll be seduced into logging on and shopping. I thought 'black friday' was crazy enough. I mean, to wait in line at 4am to get the latest gadget on sale is insane, and risk of being crushed by rushing crowds is not my idea of a holiday. It gets nuttier and nuttier. Friday after Thanksgiving should be a wonderful shut down day, no shopping, no working. We Americans work so hard at working hard and take little time to just decompress.
And while I'm on my soapbox, it used to be we wouldn't see Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving but I've seen stuff popping up all over already. Stores start selling the ornamental goods as soon as Fall officially ends, and what's with the plastic blow up Snowman and Santa? Don't people realize or care that these goods are made in foreign countries by people who make as much in a month or year as the throwaway plastic item cost? I say have fun making your own ornaments, share it. Save money, make the time well spent by being creative.
So try and stay away from the computer Thursday. Look to the sky, find a star, make a wish, smile at someone, anyone. Makes you feel good.
Share a good story. Here's mine, today as I'm de-stressing from last Friday nights Art For Animals benefit, I looked out the window and saw a family of turkeys wandering around outside (I'm still upstate until after the holiday). Really cool to see them in the wild, so beautiful. It's hunting season and I am happy they found a safe spot to roam.
See you next week in the subway.
Thanksgiving
Harvey Milk assassinated in San Francisco on this day in 1978, a tragic loss of a life. His death November 27th, a memory reminder. Love is everyone’s right to experience. I have so much to be thankful for and Harvey Milk helped pave the way for me to lead a happier life.
Got a message from a commuter named James Taylor who passing by me at GCS Shuttle last week sang “You Are So Beautiful” to me, he called to say Happy Thanksgiving.
Had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends. So many things to be thankful for….