Driving around today, I was waiting at a stoplight to turn left, and a couple of vehicles were in the lane to my right. I was amused to see the rear one creep up to the bumper of the car in front of him and honk, obviously urging him to turn right when no other vehicles were coming. When the offending driver finally pulled out into the furthest lane, the impatient driver revved his engine and tore into the road, passing the former on the right and disappearing in a few seconds. I observed this and laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation while “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” spilled from my car speakers, providing an ironic backdrop to the scene.
I had just come from a store where I’d been disappointed that some items I had hoped to purchase were sold out. Then, I went through a drive-thru to get a coffee, only to be disappointed that they were out of what I had wanted to order. Though I wasn’t in the foul mood that that other driver was evidently battling today, I have been guilty of grungry (grumpy/angry?) driving myself. I have to acknowledge that all of these first-world problems are so trivial in the grand scheme of things.
We still get together to venture out and spend some quality time.
When my son was about 11 or 12, we began getting up early on Black Friday and hitting the sales to see what deals we could score. We always had a lot of fun, though we didn’t always get what we went after. That tradition has carried forward into his adulthood, and though we haven’t really bought much on Black Friday in recent years, we still get together to venture out and spend some quality time. Retailers have begun to back up their Black Friday sales windows to encroach on the Thanksgiving holiday, but family time is still paramount to us, so we enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and then occasionally migrate to the mall in the evening.
This year, my son, his wife, and I headed out on Thanksgiving evening; after wandering around a couple of stores, we got back in the car with a few purchases and decided to head home since it was getting late. I had decided to take a back road to the house since we had put the seats down in the back of the car, and the way we were piled in the front seat, I didn’t want to be flying down the interstate–safety first! Since we’re new to the area in which we live, I don’t know the roads that well, and although I’d been on that particular road before, it had been a few months. When we got to the end of it, I couldn’t remember which direction to turn, so I tried left and ended up at a road closure and had to turn around and go back in the other direction, which was the actual way home.
The spooked animal ran out of the road and then immediately back across the road in front of us.
As we headed back, I could see a doe in the road up ahead, so I slowed down, and we watched as the spooked animal ran out of the road and then immediately back across the road in front of us. I came to a stop and then looking out the passenger side window watched as the doe nearly collided with a buck who then ran at my car, and then swerved in a parcour-esque type motion that made us jump in our seats. They both ran off after that, and we laughed about the shenanigans of the deer, and we laughed some more a minute later when I turned down yet another wrong road. We realized it at the same moment when we saw a “No Outlet” sign. It was midnight when we finally got to the house, and another memorable Black Friday was in the books.
I personally don’t put a lot of emphasis on material things. I see Black Friday as a tradition with my son, more so than a prime shopping time. It is a kick-off to that “Wonderful Time of the Year” when we reflect on what is most important in this life, spending time with loved ones and celebrating God’s gift of His Son–well beyond any trivial disappointments or things we can buy.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called…and be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15