Finding a spot of tranquil green during Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving used to be one of my favorite days of the year. A fridge full of yummy leftovers, an inviting couch or maybe a pickup football game, and a weekend on the horizon. What's not to like?

Then someone invented Black Friday, elevating the formerly lazy day into one of the most important, pressure-packed days for the American economy. No sooner had Americans given thanks for friends, family and the nonmaterial joys of life on Thanksgiving, some folks raced off into the black of night to camp out with the throng of shoppers intent on buying everything from laptop computers to Zhu Zhu Hamsters at bargain prices.

The early birds save money on door-buster specials. But at what cost? Last year, the price of consumption included the life of a Walmart employee on Long Island, who was trampled to death by a stampede of shoppers. Thirty-four-year-old Jdimytai Damour became a casualty of Black Friday's War on High Prices. In addition to being tragic, it just seemed to be an unflattering portrayal of our society.

News coverage of this year's Black Friday crush suggests the crowds are less deadly, but still a little frightening. Isn't there any other place than a retail outlet where people can find a little peace and serenity on the day after Thanksgiving?

At Catholic churches throughout the suburbs, early risers took in the Friday morning mass, where the focus was on something other that bargain prices. An international religious movement called Advent Conspiracy urges people to curb some of the capitalistic onslaught of the Christmas holiday. While stopping short of saying people shouldn't exchange material gifts, Advent Conspiracy advises followers to "worship fully, spend less, give more and love all." The group suggests presents aren't as important as presence - volunteering time to people who need help.

One of the best ways to avoid the Black Friday blues is to spend time outside in the green. The Friday crowd at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle grew into the thousands, says Jean Leidinger, coordinator of the arboretum's visitor services.

"I see a lot of families and extended families," Leidinger says. "There's a lot of people out here who want to work off their turkey and pumpkin pie."

With 16 miles of trails spanning 1,700 acres, the place is bigger than a mall parking lot, and far more serene.

"And it's sunny out. Lord knows we haven't seen much of that," Leidinger says. "It's just nice to get out and get some sunshine."

In addition to a train display and nature walks geared to kids, the grounds offer something a mall can't.

"You don't have to come with an agenda," says Leidinger, who notes having nothing specific to do actually can be the perfect thing to do. When she moseys along the outer trails, "I feel like I've really gotten away," Leidinger says.

For pure escapism on a Black Friday, a Japanese garden does the trick. Even with most of the 12 acres closed for the winter, the Garden of Reflection at the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford still takes visitors about as far away from the Black Friday mall experience as a person can get. The motto there is "At this moment, I am content."

"I guess that would be exactly opposite of the whole 'I've got to buy something' idea," says Patrick Gallaher, general manager of the gardens, which have been rated the highest quality Japanese gardens in North America.

"The gardens are a place to find peace, tranquillity and recharge your soul," Gallaher says. "People tend not to talk on their cell phones out there. We have seen a nurse or a doctor come out here after a terrible shift to shake off what they've been through. We have people with cancer come out here to sit and ponder. I can go out and sit for a while and it's energizing."

If you spent Black Friday shopping until you dropped, maybe one of these options could be where you go to recuperate. Either that or it might energize you to spend Cyber Monday searching online for the best price on a calming bonsai tree.