This is one day when I really feel as if I'm missing being in America. Few things throw the modern American into sheer survival mode better than the pushing, squeezing, heckling and down right animalistic frenzy than shopping the day after Thanksgiving...aka Black Friday.
I've braved the wilds of the malls and free-standing stores a couple of times. An actionable plan for shopping strategies must be laid out and rehearsed in the days leading up to this day, lest you fail in your mission of holiday savings (hmmm, maybe we could save by not spending/buying so much??). Few days see such activity in the US between the hours of 4am and 12noon as this day.
I've tried to calculate the cost-savings ratio for the lost sleep, gas used, and intense stress felt on this day of shopping and have concluded that there are no real savings to speak of.
The great thing about Americans, and an increasing number of their worldy cohabitants, is that this practical knowledge will no way disuade them from one of their favorite consumer rituals.
Let's pause for a quick moment. I don't want anyone to get the impression that I'm a pure cycnic. Yes I can be cycnical about some things, but most things I find too humorous to care about chastizing, so when I make these observations they aren't in any way judgemental. I'm just sharing the humor and irony of what I see.
And in resuming...
I must provide a followup to yesterday's Thanksgiving tale.
However, it will be in straight 1st person delivery.
I had planned on fibbing a bit to the instructor so as to cowardly bow out of not meeting with her anymore nor giving her the press she wanted. Boy, I was feeling low.
This morning I awoke refreshed and realized that I couldn't let her dishonesty beget dishonesty in me. But, I also didn't want to get hostile over the money because that really wasn't the point.
After the lesson, we told her that I would not return tonight as we do have dinner guests (which is true) and that I would not come next Friday as I had only felt shakey confidence at performing for the press with the knowledge of 11 lessons ahead of me, but felt even less confidence in doing so with only 7 lessons done (this was true too, although not entirely the reason for intially wanting to back out).
She really seemed sincerely sorry to hear that. She tried to explain that she believed I wanted 2 lessons a week for 3 weeks (or six lessons) only. This may have been true, but we kept repeating clearly that we were expecting 3 weeks of lessons. Maybe she didn't pay attention, I don't know.
She offered to give us back some of the money and we declined saying it was a fair amount, but she should have been clear with as about what she was planning on giving when we had been clear about what we expected.
We reaffirmed that she is a very good instructor. With the exception of this matter, I would recommend her. Just be CLEAR on the arrangements.
In the end, honesty was the best policy. Okay, blarf, that I said that, but it was true. Plus I feel better and don't have to second guess my appreciation for having learned what I did.
It's funny how when you are willing to let go the hurt of being wronged that you can either find the humor in the situation or you can find the peace of mind to address it head on, thus realizing it won't kill you to confront troubling matters. In fact I ALWAYS feel better for having done so.
Another quick tale...
Lest I leave a taste in my audience mind that ALL Indian busines folk are shady or corrupt, I did want to share another quick story.
When we visited Mt. Abu, we shopped at the Rajasthan Emporium. Among other things, we picked up several leather bound journals.
When we returned home I realized that either we were one short or we had been charged too much. Again, we felt bad. We prepared ourselves for a more typical response of "we don't know what you're talking about" followed by a swift click.
However, when we called, they quickly remembered us and told us that had set the journal aside after we left. They sent it by courier that day and it arrived at our house the very next morning.
So you see, all isn't bad in India. In fact ALL isn't bad anywhere, but as humans it seems we tend to gravitate our minds to focus on such misfortunes and miseries rather than addressing them as what they are: small and temporary in our lives.
There definitely is a basis for saying 'if it bleeds it leads"...not only in newspapers but in many of our minds about the way we view life. No, we don't need a world of Pollyanna's, BUT we could try a bit more to let the sunnier side of life shine in from time to time. It feels pretty good.
Peace
A Pink American
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