Nifty Little Counter, The Cold, Freedom from Stuff

I added this neat little deal on the left hand side to see where all my readers come from. I know that I don't get the traffic that some of my blogging buddies get, but I always wonder who reads my blog and where they come from. I've already had one hit from Malaysia! I can't say that I know who it is off the top of my head (My apologies Malaysia!), so that's exciting.

In other news, it's still cold here. After summer temps lasting through October, it's gotten cold fast. I know, I know. It's winter, it's supposed to be cold. I agree. But up until yesterday, we had had rain every day for the better part of two weeks. I love this type of weather in America. Whenever I walk outside in that cold drizzle with the low clouds and a slight breeze, I can't help but look to the horizon for that group of widgeon (ducks) coming up the river. I have this incredible urge to go stand in knee deep water before daylight and slowly and precisely place the little plastic decoys in their hospitable formation. To see Orion, my only hunting partner on many mornings, holding his post, steadily gazing off to the horizon, looking for that first flock of wood ducks. It really makes me miss the rivers, swamps, and ponds of home. Plus, it's ALWAYS cold here. The concrete houses, tile floors, and lack of good indoor heating means that I am colder inside my house than I am outside of it. A lot of nights I can see my breath as I type out these updates. I'm not really looking for pity, just venting a little.

And lastly, just a few thoughts on stuff. As Christmas approaches, we Americans inevitably think of presents. We do the nice thing and make long lists of things to get others. I enjoy the process of thinking of everyone, trying to decide what they'd really be excited over, and then the search through the narrow streets of downtown and the bright shops at the mall to find that perfect gift. But I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't just as excited about what I'd be getting. Even here, where I've been stripped of most of my most loved hobbies (like duck hunting), I still long for new things. But why, I wonder.

I don't know why I am so hung up on stuff. I know people here that live in one room apartments. Not one bedroom, just one single room. Everything they own can be put in the back of a station wagon. They live happy lives. They lack nothing. Why do I, with all my cool toys and nice clothes, continue to long for new things? Why do I feel the need to have the nicest of this or the newest of that? Even after I find the answer to these questions about myself, I still have to figure out why I judge the people I meet by what they have or what they wear. It frustrates me. I think back to my time at Clemson when, for the most part, I was the poor college kid. I didn't wear trendy clothes. I didn't have a car for a year or so. Yet I didn't really care. I can't remember ever lacking anything or wanting anything that I couldn't have. Where has that attitude gone? Do I feel like I need to look good now that I'm a professional? That may be legitimate to some degree. But why does that same attitude have to set my standards for others? In short, why do I judge my own worth or the worth of those around me by the stuff they own? People are more than the things they have collected. Sadly, considering all that I have and the attitude I have towards it, I may be less.