Gunshots. Pepper spray. Riots breaking out. And John Lennon singing “ ...and so this is Christmas” over the P.A.
I normally stay away from commentary on current events...normally...but the ‘Black Friday brings riot in Strongsville’ story in the PD really had me scratching my hairless head. Police were called to Victoria’s Secret to quell a riot at 4 a.m. Apparently shoppers were banging on the store’s gate to open at 4:05 a.m. and when they were, rushed inside toppling displays, knocking people down, throwing merchandise and generally acting like barnyard animals. There was another report of a customer using pepper spray in a Walmart in LA to keep fellow shoppers from the merchandise she wanted. These were bad, but for me the most disturbing account I read was of a teenage girl going to stand outside a store at 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and staying there until the store opened...foregoing a Thanksgiving Dinner gathering of any sort (apparently mom was standing in line at another location...something she’s done for the past 25 years so maybe there wasn’t one to go to) to get to whatever ‘thing’ it was she needed so badly that she was willing to put herself through such an ordeal.
I know there are some crazy good deals out there for shoppers willing to make the trek and fight the good fight on Black Friday. Personally, I just can’t get my head around spending the kind of time people do in these maniacal shopping situations to save any amount of money simply to get ‘stuff’. I won’t get on any soapbox and start talking about the true meaning of Christmas...like I know what it is and have any right to pontificate. It’s different for everyone and I don’t know that there is any ‘right’ way. I just think I know a ‘wrong’ way when I see it and the hype of Black Friday is just that...the ‘wrong’ way.
It was a gorgeous day to ride, but we were celebrating Holly’s birthday at 2 p.m. and there was really no time to do it. But as people were leaving just before 5 p.m., I got it in my head that I could ride for a short time in the fading daylight, and if I stuck to the side streets, could finish up in the dark, if necessary. I suited up and rode down the driveway a hair after 5 and found myself in the North Chagrin Reservation as it was getting really dark. There was little traffic though, so I powered down the road for the next twenty minutes with little trouble. It was completely dark as I left the park though, and I had to pick my route home wisely to avoid vehicular traffic. I was mostly successful, finding that the only time I had cars passing me was when I had a shoulder of over three feet on which to ride. I was wearing limited reflective gear and it wasn’t the wisest move I’ve made...but I did not want to let two beautiful November days pass without taking the opportunity to get out on my bike. Good logic...no. But it’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Bike workout: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.Calories burned during workout: 1000.
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