"This is the 1st Time I've Felt Hopeful in a Very Long Time."

More than 10,000 people poured into Foley Square in New York City yesterday. I am grateful to have been one of them. Here’s just a very small sampling of the very big crowd that showed up to protest corporate greed and political injustice. A taste, as it were, of the 99%...

A young woman standing next to me held up a sign that read, "I graduated from college with a 4.0 GPA and $20,000 in debt. Where's my bailout?" Student after student walked by her and shouted out their college debt figures. $40,000. $65,000. $80,000. Even $200,000. In debt, just to learn.

I put myself through college and accumulated a nice chunk of debt in doing so, but nothing compared to what many students are experiencing today. Just to learn.

A bearded man in ripped jeans and a t-shirt held up a sign that read, "I've got a job, I've got kids, I like sports, I hunt and I drink beer, and I'm here because I care about this country." 

I freelance, I don’t have kids, I’m not a big sports fan, I definitely don’t hunt, and I’ll usually take wine or vodka over beer. And I too care about this country. 

A wide-eyed baby sat in his stroller with a smile on his face, and a sign resting across his lap that read, "I am here with you because you are here for me." 

His cuteness alone was cause for celebration, as was the sentiment of his sign. I'd like to think that the one thing we all can agree on (or at least 99% of us) is the importance of creating a safer, healthier and more compassionate world for the generations that follow.

A gentle woman with long blonde hair held up a sign that read, "This is the 1st time I've felt hopeful in a very long time." 

I smiled at her in agreement. As we both looked out at the thousands of people who had united to improve our country - every age and color and income bracket reflected in the enthusiastic crowd - it was impossible not to feel hopeful, and impossibly refreshing to feel it. 

An enthusiastic man in a suit and tie held up a sign that read, "I'm a successful business executive standing up against corporate greed. We're not all hippies here, CNN." 

A young man walked with a cigarette dangling from his lip and a sign that read, "Occupy The Hood."

An elderly couple shared a sign that read, “Not too old to march against corporate greed.”

So many impassioned people, and so many wonderful signs:

“Public Education: Too Important To Fail”

“Can You Feel the Trickle Down?”

“Due to recent budget cuts, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.”

“Trickle Treat”

“I had a nicer sign but it was foreclosed on by one of the banks.”

“If only the war on poverty were a real war, then we would be putting money into it.”

“I can’t afford my own politician, so I made this sign.”

  and maybe the most eloquent of the bunch...

“Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit”

I share these Occupy Wall Street notes with all of you so that you can get a taste of some very powerful democracy in action here in New York City and around the country. My words certainly don’t replace the experience of being at one of these marches, and I encourage you all to find an Occupation - or hell, start one - wherever you live. I encourage you all to learn more about this movement that is rocking and will continue to rock the corrupt foundation that has held up Wall Street and too many of our politicians for way too long. 

I also share these notes with you all, because the Occupy Wall Street movement is filled with kind and creative and passionate and committed Americans from all walks of life, and I want to share and celebrate that fact. Truly, all walks of life, coming together for the good of all. 

It’s particularly easy to see the world through shit-colored glasses these days, especially if you watch or read any news at all. Like the gentle blonde woman who is feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time, I want us all to feel hopeful about the direction of our country. I want us all to feel that we have the power to effect positive change. I want us all to feel connected by our love of humanity, and by our commitment to the well-being of not just ourselves and those we love, but to all human beings. 

I know that’s a tall order, but I’m feeling extra large with the spirit of peaceful revolution. So please, by all means, serve it up.