Stay home this morning, blog, do homework, do laundry.

Have lunch with my cousin who’s visiting town at Casa de Luz, our local vegan restaurant. I’ve invited my daughter and granddaughter to join us. Haven’t seen them since Wednesday. By the way, I do not follow a vegan diet, but I eat like one sometimes.

Come home and study some more. I have 5 more days of classes at massage school, with significant homework assignments and tests coming up.

Later I will participate in a day-after-Thanksgiving casual potluck dinner with friends. I’m bringing “special drinks” — confident I’ll figure out what that means and prepare or buy something before then.

Shopping? Oh, no, no no! Not me! Not today, except perhaps at a grocery store for the “special drinks”. (Not alcoholic, by the way.)

I really don’t get why people enjoy shopping on Black Friday when so many other people are out shopping. The roads are jammed, parking lots full, retailers compete for your attention and dollars mightily. It’s overload.

In dance, we move into the empty spaces, not the spaces that people are already in.

Actually, it’s unusual for me to enjoy shopping. I’m pretty matter-of-fact about it — know what I want, get in, get out, mission accomplished, whew. The energy of malls often exhausts me rather quickly. I go when it’s not crowded. I also like thrift stores — pre-worn, soft clothing, it’s often easier to find my size, and it’s entertaining — someone wore that? Really?

When I do go to the mall, the Apple store is my favorite store, followed closely by Nordstrom because it feels spacious, the clerks are wonderful, and there’s a nice little restaurant for an escape from the retail scene. Not that I shop there much (it’s expensive), but it’s the rare store in the mall that has good vibes. Nordstrom makes shopping civilized. Apple makes it delightful.

Whatever your choice is, I hope you enjoy this day as fully as you can and let the gratitude deepen.