Yule be great, Yule be swell

Ah, the spirit of the holidays and a new year starting. Charity and good will to men. Everyone asks, "Why can't we keep the spirit of the holidays [or insert here your celebration of choice] all year long?"

As if in answer to that question, my seven-year-old just came up and said, "Mommy, what are you doing?"

"Occupy stuff," which is my pat answer to her when I'm reading news articles, writing, or catching up in my forums and workgroups online. 

With a sigh she said, "When is the occupy stuff going to be done?"

I'm sighing too, kiddo.

It's hard, to keep good intentions in your sights and hope in your heart. It's hard to hit the 'net each morning looking for inspiration and to read things like, " Brace yourself. The American Empire is over. And the descent is going to be horrifying."

It's hard to spend time reading and watching more interviews, more news articles, when your kid wants to play with you and you need a shower and your house is still a mess from Christmas.

So, I remind myself to think smaller. 

I remind myself that I know, especially as a former employee of government administration, that change happens in baby steps, slower than molasses. I remind myself how amazingly heartening it is to see people taking to the streets and taking to the internet (and good Lord, please, can we keep the internet free from censorship? Even Russia is wondering what we're up to: "If the US approves the [SOPA] document, it will automatically be associated with China and Iran which have repeatedly been slammed by the Obama administration for using Internet censorship."

I remind myself that people are unhappy and want to have hope, want to make things better, not just for themselves but for their neighbors and their communities. Occasional burnout is inevitable. But people are still interested and still curious, and that curiosity is what will keep the occupy movement moving.

Just yesterday, a neighbor asked me if I was still working with Occupy Detroit. When I said yes, she said, "I'm still not sure what it's all about; I'm going to have to get down there and check it out."

It's a small and attainable goal. Let's just make sure that when people want to see what's going on with the Occupy movement, that we're still there to show them.