Anti -Black Friday

I spent Black Friday in the waiting room of a Ford dealership in Duarte and with the exception of my lunch I spent not a single dollar. Didn't step foot in a single store. I often feel out of sync with my culture because I don't follow what "they" say I should do. In my relationships, my work, my  decision not to shop, lots of things. Friday was no exception. I felt rebellious all day, whether it was opposing "their" expectations or mine. I was working, NOT shopping. I had a real conversation with a friend, not text but voices. I read bound, slick paged magazines, 7 to be exact (rather than a digital version) and I walked to lunch in an unfamiliar town at a nearby Mongolian BBQ joint whose address I had not previously googled. I ate my lunch alone. Walking through town I left my phone in my pocket and paid attention to my surroundings. The lemon and lime trees with branches so heavy with fruit that they were cracking under the weight. The bus stop where the grizzled looking old man didn't ask for money, he just said "good afternoon young lady" and literally tipped his ratty fedora to me. The restaurant managers daughter who sat near me and looked surprised when I absentmindedly sang along to SpongeBob on the TV. When I got back to the waiting room I set aside my usual grumpy response to folks who invade my personal space or talk loudly on their phones in public. Instead, I sat quietly and listened to the beautiful accent the woman was speaking in. I offered the man sitting too close my magazine. I was calm. Maybe it was the nice walk in the sunshine I had just had. Maybe it was leftover Thanksgiving gratitude. Or maybe it was just "Opposite Day". Whatever the reason I had a peaceful, enjoyable anti Black Friday. I hope I get to do it again next year.