Six out of seven nights of getting to bed post-midnight took its toll last night, muddling through another 1,052 words as my brain locked up and I half-assed two short "chapters" that severely tested my ability to keep my Inner Editor at bay.

NaNoWriMo Word Count, Day 4: 3,512 (-3,156)

The only good thing is that, including the 384 words I wrote during lunch, it was the closest I've come to hitting the daily goal of 1,667 so far. I'm in serious trouble, though, if I have to count on my lunch hour to keep me close.

In other news, thanks to Bill MacMillan for the quote of the day, if not the next four years:

You may think your actions are meaningless and that they won't help, but that is no excuse, you must still act.
-- Mohandas K. Gandhi

You never know who's watching, who's listening, who's reading along. In the absence of any evidence that your efforts are making a difference, don't be discouraged. Take solace in the fact that by acting - not just talking, but DOING - you are at least making sure that you're not part of the problem. And for every person that's actively not part of the problem, that's one step closer to being a part of the solution.

And a final thought from Michael Moore who, polarizing as he can be, cuts to the chase with a clear, inarguable point:

There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope!

Indeed. Have hope. If not for yourself, than for your kids. Or mine.