BLACK FRIDAY
The Friday after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday. It’s where thousands upon thousands of people across the United States get up early…sometimes as early as 3:00 a.m….ugh!…to go to the many shopping malls and stores across our great Nation to get the best deals available for their gift giving come December 25th.
In the study of Yoga we find the 8 limbs of yoga or basically the ideals to live a good and productive life. One of the main limbs is the Yamas. The Yamas are the basics…you know the things your mother and grandmother taught you when you were growing up. Under the Yamas is APARIGRAHA, which translates into NON-POSSESSIVENESS and NONHOARDING. This basic teaching is a tough one in our modern age with new technology coming out everyday. We all want more, better and bigger things. We have moved away from the basics of life. Have you ever really asked yourself the question, “What do I really need?” I have lived on a sailboat in the Bahamas for 6 months a year over the past 7 years. What I discovered is that I basically need food, water, basic clothing, a safe place to sleep and friends. Don’t get me wrong. When I would come back to land after 6 months at sea I headed right for the excesses in life which for me was using plenty of soap and water by standing for long periods in the shower. I also enjoyed the ease of shopping when I came back to land. It was overwhelming in a sense that so much was so easily available.
I have come to appreciate giving the gift of a CONSUMABLE gift. You know the kind that DIRTY GIRL FARM, FARMLIFE, & OMGIRLS offer. The gift of health that I can give to my friends and family by giving them products that are “GREEN”. That are produced with no chemicals and that are packaged as “GREEN” as possible. So very little or no packaging ends up in the landfills that will be with us and generations to come. For me giving something consumable rather than something that I will be selling on EBAY in a few years because it is outdated or I will be sellin in my next garage sale is the best gift I can give. Organic soaps, lotions, herbs, spices, makeup tell my friends and family that I care. I care about their health and their future as well as the future of our planet. This type of gifting is truly a gift of love.
Obviously if you are getting engaged that diamond ring is a beautiful gift to give There are many that are close to you that consumable gifting is not the best choice, but you can be wise in your choice of jewelry, electronics, etc. Checking to see where your diamond came from and what type of human suffering if any went into this gift of love you are planning on giving. Where were those electronics made. Be wise when you shop for consumable gifts and non-consumable gifts. Spontaneous shopping is dangerous not only to your pocket book but to our planet. More often than not those spontaneous gifts will end up in the trash adding one more thing into the overburdened landfills.
As you go out on this busiest shopping day of the year please make wise choices in your shopping. Think “GREEN” by looking at the packaging and where the product was manufactured. Stop and think if the person you are gifting this to will be using it or hiding it. Take a few minutes to truly stop and think of the person you are buying for as you make your decision. Sometimes we get caught up in the buying because we are putting pressure on ourselves that we need to get “X” amount of gifts for “X” amount of people. Stop and think about the meaning of this holiday. Is it really about giving gifts or telling another person that you really care about them and that your world is a better place because they are in it.
Take a moment today and each day to think about your spending power. Your money talks and your gift giving says a lot about you. Consider APARIGRAHA as you buy for your self and others. Think about nonpossessiveness and nonhoarding. Think about giving consumable gifts and think what your gifting and possessions mean to you, to those around you and to the planet.
