Thanks-You-For-Giving, 2010

Let me explain and just say that "Thanks-you-for-giving" is my father's way to say Thanksgiving. It's been a family joke for years.


Now, about Thanksgiving. What an....odd holiday. Spent the morning at home, pretty much determined to have a boring, lonely, depressed day. When a friend of mine texted me in the afternoon to invite me over for dinner, a part of me honestly wanted to say 'No, thanks' just so that I wasn't being intrusive on anyone else's family holiday, etc. 


First and foremost, I am thankful that today, I resisted the urge to be self-defeating and depressed, because tonight has been pretty stupendous. Went over to see Derek and Jessi at about 4:30, and met Jessi's mother and nephew. Jessi's mother made it a point to observe their family tradition of skipping a traditional "Grace" prayer on Thanksgiving night in favor of each person sitting at the dinner table sharing the things that they were grateful for in the past year. Gained some insight into Derek, Jessi, and her family, and had the best meal I've had in a LONG time. Left there and instead of going home, I decided to venture to Pullman to see one of my best friends, Brianne, and her fiance Dustin. When we discovered that Wal-Mart was doing a huge Black Friday sale at midnight, we realized that we had no choice but to go investigate. Best. Decision. Ever. 


Brianne was drunk, the place was PACKED with scary, bitter people waiting to snatch up the latest and greatest in Rolled Back prices, and we ended up purchasing all sorts of nifty things, from a $3 hand mixer to a $10 set of tupperware, to pillows. I've never been glared at more in my entire life. It was kind of awesome. Also, once we were in line, we looked back to find an older woman a couple of carts behind is, muttering obscenities and glaring at nearby passersby. Even more awesome. Brianne almost approached her, to ask if she was armed, so we could get out of the line of fire. Afterwards, though, it dawned on me, as we were trudging through the snow back to the car, that we were all 20-something individuals who are ABSOLUTELY GLEEFUL about buying fucking tupperware. When did that happen? That is unacceptable. Black Friday really does bring out the worst in people, I think. Everyone I met at Wal-mart was angry, sullen, or impatient to catch their 'big deal', and it bothered me. A lot. The highlight of the evening was Dustin yelling 'Anarchy! Anarchy!' about 3 minutes before all of the deals began. Even the employees appreciated that. However, aside from that moment, Black Friday has left me less than thrilled with humanity. This is an unfortunate place to be, and one that needs to be rectified as soon as possible.


QOTD
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman