let's stop & think

Like many people, I went out yesterday and did a little "Black Friday" shopping...I think this may have been my first time, but it just happened to work out - my husband was home, we had a babysitter lined up, so we went and got a couple of good deals. Normally I try to avoid shopping when it's crazy. I try to do much of it on-line, as I don't really enjoy it and certainly don't like the crowds. And like many, I'm buying a bit less this year.
But man, I was so saddened to hear that there were incidents yesterday where at least one person lost his life over shopping. A man in my husband's hometown of Valley Stream, NY on Long Island was trampled by eager crowds rushing to get in to a Wal-Mart at 5am. A pregnant woman was also injured, but she and her baby are OK. During all this, Wal-Mart did not close - they continued to let people in to shop while a lifeless body lay waiting to be picked up. People rushed around the body in order to shop for deals. Wow...what the hell?
Thinking about this has made me decide to go out of my way to not get caught up in holiday craziness - I will not stress or be unkind over a parking spot or a slow shopper or a hard-to-find item. I will also not shop at Wal-Mart, but that's nothing new. I'm opting out and I hope you also will opt out of at least some of the stress associated with this time of year.