Friday Quote Day

There will never be a day

when we won't need dedication,

discipline, energy, and the feeling

that we can change things for the better.
~ George Sheehan

Okay, kiddies, here it is, the fourth and final week of the first month of the new year. Are you still on track with your plan? Is your goal in sight? (If you're just joining us, my goal was to lose five pounds a month for 10 months.) Are you finding a new normal, or are you still fighting for control over temptation, cravings, sloth and inertia?

Heh.

I gotta say it's easier to exercise when exercise can be done outdoors in warm weather. It has rained and been cold every day since our return from the sunny south, and while the rain is good for future gardens, it kind of puts a damper on a nice, long walk. My mileage for this week was all done in Florida.

And the forecast? Here's my weather widget:

Saturday might work. Sunday will if it's not raining. My Google homepage weather forecast is both colder and wetter than the AccuWeather.com widget.

But what's today's quote really about? It's about what happened yesterday in the Supreme Court. SCOTUS screwed We The People in its ruling allowing corporations to directly donate to political causes and candidates. The brakes are off. Just as corporations have taken over college sports – Verizon Play of the Game, anyone? – so, too, will our future political leaders be sponsored by Big Pharma, Big Insurance, Big Oil, Big Money. Your puny little contribution to your Senator or Congressman in his/her next election won't mean squat.

If we progressives ever needed dedication, discipline, energy, and the feeling that we can change things for the better, it is NOW. Barney Frank says there are ways to rein in companies who want to buy politicians, as does Sherrod Brown. I hope they're right, but they're politicians, too – are they already looking for their own sources with deep pockets?

I'm disheartened and disillusioned with politics in general. The Obama campaign was the first time I truly was engaged in the process, and it's been so sad to see all those hopes and dreams shattered by a nation more divided than ever. The common good is all but gone, it's every man, woman and child for him or herself. And those who have the most money will win. SCOTUS has ensured that.

Me? I feel kind of helpless. Kind of like I feel when I look outside and see rain and more rain and so I get on the treadmill and it quits after 24 minutes and I wonder if I'll ever be thin again.

P.S. For a peppier, brighter outlook on the weather and life in general, I hope you'll read my friend's new blog. This post of hers could not be more different from mine, and it does me so much good to study her perspective. Especially on long, rainy, cold days like this.