Citizen Democracy; taking action

MY NEIGHBORHOOD - before taking action
(The trash bag is what I used to collect all of the trash)

The more I learn, the less I know. This is part of the curse of working on Down:2:Earth. I keep learning about more issues that inspire me to change. And change is something we humans don't do so easily. As I have said on earlier posts, I have found that I am better off focusing on one change at a time. If I try to take on too many at once, I get overwhelmed.

So now I am finally reading Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe, who was one of our keynote speakers from D2E 2008. One of the topics she brings up is Citizen Democracy. At first, this sounded like a weight on my shoulders. I thought that she was going to convince me I have to get involved with a political campaign. But as I read on, I was relieved to learn that though she is talking about action, she encourages us all to find our own form of action. I have never been good at following directions, so when someone inspires me to find my own direction I am much more responsive.

I love that she outright said "stop complaining". This inspired me to get up early and walk my neighborhood with a trash bag. For the past few weeks I had been complaining about the litter that was left behind from one of our local church festivals. After one morning of work the litter is gone, and I don't get upset when I take Lucy for her walks. Of course, I am also thinking that though this was a great initial venture into Citizen Democracy, there is more in store for me.


LUCY JOINS ME AS WE FINISH UP OUR CLEANING MISSION