Seven things I WISH I could believe in

There is a sweet, sappy and sentimental movement among bloggers right now - a movement to have bloggers write about seven things they believe in.

I sat down with BMG yesterday and found myself unable to play the optimistic game. To my chagrin, I found it easier to list tings I wish I could believe in. So, in the interest of being a contrarian, here is my list of seven things I wish I could believe in:
1. The inherent goodness of people
2. The power of democracy
3. Santa Claus
4. Splenda
5. The Pledge of Allegiance
6. The Flying Spaghetti Monster Theory of Evolution
7. Following the diet and exercise habits of the stars can make me look like one of them

Okay, so maybe I just needed to get that negative phlegm off of my conscience. Here are seven things I CAN believe in:
1. Paying it forward
2. Nurture AND nature as determinants of human behavior
3. Comprehensive sexuality education
4. The European way of life
5. The beauty of food
6. Half-men, half trees
7. Being honest, gentle, loving, strong and good