Social change. Revolution. Activism.

My stomach twists. I set down the dictionary, forcing myself to ponder such abstract concepts. Swivelling in my black leather chair I stare out the window into foggy streets. “I can be change,” I whisper, sipping on a Chai latte and thinking about all the good things I could accomplish that day. I punch the air with my fists. “Fight, fight, fight the system of the down.” I can do it. I can advocate change.

But when I finally change out of my pyjamas and stroll down the sleepy streets of Blyth, I can’t think of what I’d like to change. It’s so ideal, so cozy, so darling. Perhaps social activism is more of a mindset, I convince myself, turning away as my elderly neighbour stands in his window and chugs down his breakfast bottle of vodka.

I wander back into my little home. Open up my laptop. News of hurricanes and wars and homelessness screeches across my screen thanks to a Yahoo pop-up. I immediately close it, annoyed by its invasiveness. Take another sip of Chai to centre my chi, open up a blank page in Word and begin to type out my profound thoughts on Change.

Emily Wierenga lives in Blyth, Ontario.

This article first appeared in Geez magazine Issue 12, Winter 2008, The what-is-commonly-referred-to-as Activism Issue.