overwhelmed

Do you ever think about all the stuff that needs doing and get overwhelmed? Not stuff like dishes, laundry, catching up on emails, doing that thing you said you were going to do, cleaning the garage, organizing the basement, finally taking that bag to Goodwill--- not that all that stuff doesn't overwhelm me because it totally does, too. 

But I mean like when I think about the state of the world today. How many people are hungry, hurting, or even dying and how I'm confident that I could do something. I mean, I know I can't fix everything, but not being able to do everything is not an excuse to do nothing. 

I heard this guy on NPR the other day arguing that because the poor have always and will always exist, we aren't *really* obligated to do anything about it. And I got pissed. 

And then I realized that while I totally disagree with that assertion, I'm not really *doing* anything to suggest otherwise. 

My problem right now is that I don't know *what* to do. Or how to do it. Or even where to start. 

It used to be easy when I worked for a nonprofit organization because I WAS doing something, wasn't I? For the children! But now. Now I sometimes feel like I live a completely self-indulgent existence. I want my books to affect people, sure. But who knows if they'll ever end up being read by anyone other than my crit buddies and agent. 

And I kind of hate it.  

Anyway, a change is coming-- I can feel it as surely as I feel the impending heat wave tiptoeing in (great timing for our HVAC to stop working!). But what that looks like? I have no idea. I am pretty sure that I need to dream bigger, to think bigger, to plan bigger. 

So that's where I'm at right now. How about you? :) 

Or, any world problems you suggest I solve (or at least work toward solving)?