Perspective.

I have a lot on my mind tonight. As usual. But instead of festering I am going to blog, which I haven't made the time to do in the last few days. And feel not good about it.
First of all, Wiley, my sweet husky who I took in to get fixed, is doing great. He is the best and in one day and many treats I taught him how to sit, shake and lie down. Tomorrow we will learn how to make mac and cheese.

I could talk about my dog and the parties I went to over the weekend or the amazing party that was in honor of my book, NOTE TO SELF in LA on Thursday and the 120 people that showed up to Me and Ro on Melrose Place to buy a book and jewelry, or both, or the fact that I got into my first facebook fight with a guy I went to 6th grade with, BUT I am not going to talk about that.

I just watched Obama give his first press conference and talk to us about what in the world are we going to do in this country to get us back on track and not fall into the great abyss of the great depression. Scary shit. I have faith and I continually try and focus on all that we have instead of what we don't have. But this is unsettling and these are troubling times. How did we get here??? So many reasons!!

For Perspecitve I pick up a photo album that I made from our trip to AFrica this past summer. That's is perspective in a way that can only be found by opening your eyes and your heart to the world around you. There is great suffering all around us. But in that suffering you can find a way to relieve it if you remain open and in action.

I also watched The View today. Among other things. Yes. I did. I tivo it and love to see the ladies bicker when I have a free moment. Diane Sawyer was on to talk about her special on Friday night, 2/13/09. She's so beautiful and eloquent. I was on Good Morning America three weeks ago talking about my book, NOTE TO SELF. Which when I see what other work she is doing, it only makes me appreicate her more, and feel so much gratitude for the opportunity to go on her show. What I saw made me weep. The poverty in the Mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee is that of Africa, only the people are speaking our language. They are young girls and boys, men and women of this country who have been forgotten and are hidden behind poverty and mountain dew mouth. As Diane said "their Horizon is their front yard." While so many of us have an endless horizon theirs is filled with garbage and despair.

When I watched Obama speak tonight I thought about those people in the Appalachian Mountains and closed my eyes to send them a prayer. To them, this recession is nothing new or different, but they won't be immuned to its effects. And their nothing will become less than that. Where that leaves them, nobody knows.

I want to do something about this.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/diane-sawyers-view-on-poverty/288230380814016827