Idaho Has Made Me Complacent

I have lived in Idaho for 14 months now, and I have to say, the slower lifestyle is beginning to take its toll on me.

Life in California (or any major metropolitan area) is extremely fast-paced.  You're always moving, always going somewhere, and you either adapt to the flow or get swept away in the undercurrent.

Such is life.

Idaho is very different.  People go at their own pace. You can still live a frenetic lifestyle, but you will be doing so on your own.  There is no current to go by.  You're either moving on your own or not.

Well, living in Idaho has slowed me down a bit.  I can still hustle, and now and then I'm known to bustle, but normally I just do my own thing at my own speed.

But Black Friday is a day where the entire nation is moving at a break-neck speed.  For Californians this is just another day:  Fight the crowds, dodge and weave, and survival of the fittest.

In Idaho, it's kind of a big deal.

Driving around town at 9pm on Thanksgiving, I could see the crowds.  Walmart was packed.  Best Buy was flooded.  The streets were a war zone, and not unlike California, many people had guns in their vehicles (although this time it was more for hunting than gang-related).  People were in a 'survival of the fittest' mode, and you had two choices:  Compete at their level or get out of their way.

I chose to get out of the way.  400 people at Best Buy, 4 hours before store opening, all fighting for the same 12 TV's?  No thanks.  I went at 6am, was in and out in about 15 minutes, and still snagged some pretty good deals.

Maybe next year, I'll ramp myself up so I can compete.  Do some extra gym time, maybe spend a week in Cali to get back my edge.  Or maybe not.  We'll see.