Bushes along the canal in Mission Bay. Photo by Dayamudra Ann Dennehy
For the last several years I have been celebrating , Buy Nothing Day. It is a day to consciously choose how to spend this precious day off, a day to NOT shop on so-called Black Friday. We are citizens not consumers. Shopping does not bring happiness.
This year I have decided to spend the day celebrating what I love rather than resisting what troubles me. I have decided that this year I will celebrate Green Friday, and make gratitude an intensive 4-day practice. Here are some of the items on my agenda:
1. Spend the extra time cooking and eating well. I've got a box of delicious produce for the week and a rack full of spices. I will savor my food at the table and give thanks to everyone who brought this harvest to my kitchen.
2. Write letters. This is the time of year I connect with old friends and I like to do it pen to paper. The stories will take as long at they take. I am grateful for old friends.
3. Go for a wander. I will get outside and explore my neighborhood. I will be fully present for all the colors and textures of the day. I will be surprised. I am grateful for this place.
Mission Creek signs by children in the local elementary school. Photo by Dayamudra Ann Dennehy.
4. Get moving. I will go for a long swim in my favorite rooftop pool. I will take a dance class. I will go for a long bike ride. I am grateful for this body, for mobility, for independence.
5. Make space. I will clear out what I don't need from my closets and finally make that drop at the thrift store. I have everything I need. I am grateful for a house that is clean and clutter-free.
6. Read. I will spend the evenings reading rather than consuming digital media. I am grateful for literacy and grateful for the care that went into publishing these authors' ideas.
7. Reflect. I will look back on my goals for 2017 and reflect on what went well, what was a challenge, what surprised me. I will start sketching out my dreams for 2018. I am grateful for this "one wild and precious life".
8. Connect. I will telephone, have video calls, invite friends over. I will listen more and better. I am grateful for love.
I invite you to take on your own 4-Day Gratitude Intensive. Who has time to shop?
Restaurant in Mission Bay. Photo by Dayamudra Ann Dennehy