In the Bleak Mid-Winter

Copyright 2011: Jack Scheper - Floridata.com

The Jesus said to them,

“Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;

A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

Luke 12:15

A few months ago, I attended a very vigorous aerobic workout after months of relative inactivity, and was rewarded with a piri-formis muscle injury with related pain in the IT band of my left leg.  After several weeks of physical therapy, I discovered that my pain almost disappeared if I wore my Nike athletic shoes instead of flip-flops or “flat” flats!  I wear Nike Air-Walks for exercise, and a few weeks ago, decided to wear them all the time.  My old shoes were pretty well worn, however – long past the “every six months buy a new pair” time schedule.  The only store in my area still regularly selling Air Walk's is Famous Footwear.  Fortunately,  the local store had my size, and I was able to purchase the shoes without incident--the store's Thanksgiving weekend sale considerably lowering the cost.  My new Nike's are very comfortable, and my piri-formis greatly appreciates my efforts to wear supportive shoes.

Yesterday, Nike released its newest model of the Air Jordan basketball shoe, and the resulting frenzy included vandalism, fights, rioting, pepper spray, and arrests across the country as shopper literally fought to obtain a pair of the new shoes.  At two different locations in Seattle, over a thousand people showed up for the 150 pairs of the $180 shoes that were available.  A young man was stabbed in New Jersey, a mother left her 2- and 5-year-olds in the car in order to line up for the mall opening, customers in Georgia broke down the doors of the mall, gun shots rang out at a California location, and others in Ohio and Michigan forced their way into malls in hopes of scoring a pair of shoes. In Washington D.C., three people are dead, including a delivery truck driver who was stabbed to death, and an 18-year-old girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. For some, these Nike's were a collector’s acquisition; for most, they were a source of instant status.

This is the season of the year when our thoughts (hopefully) turn outward instead of inward – reaching out to family, friends and those who are much less fortunate (no matter your personal circumstance, there is always someone worse off than you are).  Giving is the very best antidote for the constant need of getting.