Do what you can, with what you have, where you are

I was just taking a short walk on my lunch hour to clear out my head. I find I have the most profound thoughts when I am away from my computer. That doesn't bode well for a new blogger, does it?!

On my walk I started thinking about the state of helplessness. I mean, I know — I post a lot of stories on here that can make a person feel like the world is just a huge mess. But really, I think there are two kinds of helplessness. The first is when you truly have no control over circumstances. Like that time I was at the doctor's office in the middle of getting a pap smear and the fire alarm went off. The momentary look of panic on the doctor's face was not exactly reassuring.

In that situation, you really do have to trust in a higher power. Ladies, you know what I'm sayin'.

But the other feeling of helplessness is more of a feeling of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of problems. There are solutions, and you do have power, but sometimes it can begin to feel like too much. But that is exactly the point of an organization like One.org, which is trying to make change one person at a time. And writing an email to your Senator or Representative to let them know your feelings on the war in Iraq, hate crimes legislation, or any issue is really not hard to do. If you're sitting here reading this blog, you have the skills and ability (and time?) to do it.

To quote Theodore Roosevelt: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."