Writing down your own thoughts helps to clarify and sometimes change them, moreso when you are writing them down where someone else will read them and comment on them. Mudcat can't help but influence you, if you participate.

Most recently, it was reassuring to hear Americans say: it's OK to have fun. Here in Ottawa, people were pretty upset over the WTC attack; over a hundred thousand showed up at Friday lunchtime for the rememberance ceremony on Parliament Hill, and that's several thousand more than can fit into that area. (and Ottawa and Gatineau across the river only have a million people total) Lots more turned away when they saw they couldn't get close. Anyway, I was glad to be encouraged by American Catters to perform whatever seemed right for the crowd at a beach on Saturday evening and throwing in several happy songs seemed to work out very well, especially for all the kids present.