What keeps me up at night...

Books!

The smell of them, the weight of them, the faraway places I go in them...I love books. If you know me at all you know that I am always lugging around a book. I feel like books are largely responsible for my creativity and certainly my imagination. It is ALWAYS a book that inspires me, and makes me desire more for myself and for my world. Since this is the case, I find it absolutely necessary to share with my blog readers the books that I read this year. I want you to be inspired by what inspires me! Besides, I have always wanted to be part of a book group, but time and distance have never let that happen for me...so please join my blog book group here!

My first book of 2010 was ...(drum roll)

Sarah Palin's Going Rouge!

I really like Sarah Palin (which may suprise some of you out there). But I enjoy her honesty, her values, her boldness, and her love for America. She is a woman who is sure of who she is and what she believes in and who can't respect that! I love how candid she is in this book, and I enjoyed learning about the culture of Alaska - America's last frontier.

One of my favorite aspects of her book is her call to action that resonates throughout it. After acknowledging that America is facing some scary challenges right now, Sarah says that "the way forward is to stand and fight. Throw tea parties. March on Capitol Hill. Write letters to the editor. Run for local office - you never know where it might lead. And make your voice heard on every single election day, on every single issue. That is your birthright."

I believe this is the only way forward too. My New Year's Resolution LAST year was to not just grumble about the way the world was moving, but to DO something about it. And I began making phone calls. Almost every week, ALL LAST YEAR, I made calls to my congressman, my two senators, my state senator, and my state assemblywoman. I called and told them what I thought, how I wanted them to vote, and why I cared. I emailed the President (Bush and Obama), the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Defense not just once but many times last year...I'm sure my name is on a list somewhere.

Sarah is right, this is our birthright, and freedom isn't really free, we have to use it, we have to participate, we have to care! I have the same New Year's Resolution this year, only I am adding something. I am going to DO something to effect change in my corner of the world. That means my neighborhood, my school, my workplace. Imagine what the world could be if we all made our little circles a better place. Thanks Sarah Palin for the inspiring words and an inspiring life!