Everyone is looking for a status symbol to express who they are. They think that simply owning things says something about who they are, and to an extent we nurture this belief to an extreme. When you meet a person for the first time you look at what they're wearing as well as the way they carry themselves. When someone dies we go through their belongings and cling to them as if simply by being near to something they once owned, we'll be nearer to that person as well. I know that I think I am defined by certain things that I own. My cars, my snowboards, my favorite board games, my favorite pair of jeans, my endless collection of books... Sometimes I'll just wallow in the feeling of owning things. But I often wonder if my house burned down tomorrow, would I miss any of it? Truthfully I can think of almost nothing I would dearly miss if I lost it tomorrow. I don't keep very many memoirs of the past around, seeking mainly to own only what is useful to me now. The games, books, clothes, boards, and electronics I own are all highly replaceable. Yet the simple plague of wanting to own things burdens us all. If I died tomorrow what kind of person would people think I am based on my belongings? I suppose we've all wondered this at some point and I think the simple answer in my case is a pack rat. Aside from that however I like to think that they could easily assume I was an outgoing, involved, somewhat nerdy individual with interests in trying new things. But more interesting than trying to add more meaning to items that are only material objects, is thinking about where they can take you in the future instead. With this in mind I think my cars are probably my most prized possessions because with a car comes the power to go anywhere you like. I could pack up my car tomorrow and drive anywhere on the continent. I could just as easily say my phone is my favorite because it gives me the power to access any information I care to know. I can contact anyone in the world, I can read any article, enroll in a new school, buy a plane ticket to anywhere in the world, read any book in existence, listen to any song, watch any movie, conduct business in work, travel, or acquisition of new goods. The bottom line, interestingly, is that both these items are replaceable. If every single item that I own were destroyed I have every confidence that I would reemerge from this poverty in a year or two and be in much the same position I am today - going to school and consuming in a similar pattern.
As the Alaskan winter continues, we see a strange repeated pattern of cold spells with no snow and then warm melt offs where the shameless weather actually has the audacity to rain - RAIN. For one young twenty year old in particular who has recently amassed two snowboards and all the accompanying gear, this complete lack of snow has been an unorthodox curse. Wasn't it I who had previously hoped for a sunny winter? But now that I have decided to get involved in a winter sport and change my routing section to the snow's side suddenly all I can get is sun with no snow! I've been advised that there is a good chance if the weather continues as it has been then the snow just may start dumping in March. Either way I keep hoping for some snow this winter - anytime now, snow.
The gym has also become a part of my weekday routine. The more I go, the more addicted I am to going! My gym just happens to be on the way home from work, so it's easy to swing by every day afterwards. It seems like everyone else has the same idea because around six PM the parking lot really begins to fill up. Or maybe my renewed interest has just happened to coincide with the "New Year, New Me," movement. Either way I'm excited to try more of the classes available. Now I can take PiYo and a Kickboxing Boot Camp on alternating days. I'm also excited to join in the fun on the Polar Bear 5k next week starting at the Anchorage Zoo. All of the proceeds go to the polar bears, as if the excitement of the run weren't enough. ;)
Another event going on toward the end of January is the Polar Plunge... That's right, normal everyday people like you and I are signing up to jump into the frigid lake. But not all of them are doing it just for the thrill of a quick brush with pneumonia - these brave individuals are being sponsored to do so, and all the money goes to yet another charity. This seems like a slightly stupid idea... So why am I tempted to try it? I may have gone overboard this evening when I picked up an Odwalla advertised as a protein shake following my workout. My thought process was something along the lines of "Oh, I love Odwallas! And I'm starving. I could use the protein." The first couple of drinks were satisfying enough: it tasted like strawberry milk in essence, but on the fifth drink the weird aftertaste appeared and by the final two "drinks" I was chugging it just so I could be done with the thing. I have since decided that protein shakes aren't really my thing at the moment. Not until I resolve to train for something a whole lot more physically taxing than daily gym use. By the way, in case you were wondering the time of year has begun in which the most breakups occur (this strange phenomenon finishes up around February 14th). Valentine's day. Seriously people? It's a Hallmark holiday. Nothing to have a break up over. So until next time, everybody try to keep calm and carry on. ;)
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