Why I’m Opting Out of Black Friday

What are you walking away from, and what are you walking toward?

It’s Thanksgiving, 2023. My partner Kristjan and I are in Thailand. This year, we’ve given ourselves permission to walk away from society’s expectations of the holiday and walk toward living a life with our own authentic values.

As a rule, we try to see beyond the illusion of overconsumption and “wretched excess” in favor of living simply with less. Even that is proving difficult as we travel for five weeks — it’s amazing how much we carry around with us!

I am on an extended sabbatical — crossing a bridge if you will — from who I’ve been in my past to who my future self is calling me to become.

Opting Out of Consumerism and Black Friday

The original intent of Thanksgiving was to express our sincere gratitude for the abundance of Nature’s bounty, taking time to reflect upon the gifts that we have received, and gathering with loved ones to share our blessings.

Immersed in today’s dominant commercial culture, this gracious holiday has morphed into generalized expectations to overindulge — quite literally “stuffing” ourselves with a lavish Thanksgiving dinner, immediately followed by “stuffing” our homes, garages and closets with the latest gadgets and gizmos being peddled in the ever-increasing Black Friday push to buy more, more, more.

If you get a chance, you may want to explore walking away from the commercialism of Black Friday and walking towards a “Green Friday,” a day of reflection to reconnect with Nature.

Remember that success is not measured by what you’ve accumulated or the amount of material possessions you have acquired. Living a purposeful life is about becoming your authentic self, connecting with community, expressing your inner gifts and talents, and living in alignment with your highest values (to clarify your core values, check out my free Core Values Checklist here).

An Indigenous Thanksgiving Address

This summer, I read “Braiding Sweetgrass,” by Robin Wall Kimmerer (which I highly recommend), a delightful book that provides beautiful insight into the Indigenous worldview which recognizes our inherent interconnectedness with Nature. The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address is one way to rekindle the original intent of this beautiful tradition. You can read it and incorporate it into your Thanksgiving blessings here and/or watch a video about it here.

“You can’t listen to the Thanksgiving Address without feeling wealthy. And, while expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires…The Thanksgiving Address reminds you that you already have everything you need… That’s good medicine for land and people alike.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer, from Braiding Sweetgrass

This Thanksgiving, as I am expressing gratitude for the abundance of life, know that I am grateful to be connected with you, and wish you a beautiful holiday weekend filled with love, light, and abundance.