Day #1 of my Iranian peace vigil was excellent, and I have all of you to thank for that. Well, maybe not ALL, but certainly most! Yes, I sat by myself with my sign in front of the American Enterprise Institute from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. with a half hour off for lunch, but I never felt alone. It was as if I were surrounded by large numbers of my sisters and brothers, all of us wanting the same thing, all of us willing to respond kindly to unkindnesses--only one, really, when a woman called me a moron--all of us ready to dialogue nonviolently with anyone who felt so inclined.

I'd thought I was going into the "belly of the beast" because the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is considered the #1 neoconservative think tank in the U.S.--Dick Cheney's wife is one of its executives--but instead I found individuals who may not have agreed with my message but who, in almost every case, were courteous and sometimes downright kind. Now some of that may have been because I was totally non-confrontational, smiled a lot, and am a "little old lady in a wheelchair," but it might also have been the fruit of some inner work I did on my long drive to DC. I'd realized that I still had some hatred of the "powers that be" and that if I mounted a solitary vigil with that kind of negativity in me, I would be doing more harm than good. So I released it. And today I saw that I really had, because when Newt Gingrinch walked right in front of my scooter, my immediate response was a smile and a nod. Yes, I've come a long way!

Let me talk about the kindness of strangers. It was a very hot, muggy day, and folks seemed worried that I might get overheated. One young man came up and gave me a cold bottle of Gatorade. Then Manny, an older Asian-American man who I think manages the copy center in the same building as the AEI headquarters, came outside several times expressing concern that I was in the sun--that spot made me more visible to people walking along the street--and finally put his own hat on my head! He also gave me a cold bottle of water.

And now to tell you about people's reactions to my sign. Yes, there were a few openly negative reactions but only one that was mean-spirited (the moron comment). And I saw quite a few pursed lips and pinched noses as if they were smelling limburger cheese, but what surprised and delighted me were the dozens of positive responses expressed by passersby and even by people who had attended the AEI presentations. I received more "thank-you's" than you could imagine, lots of thumbs-up, and even a round of applause from an older man who was walking by. And lots of people took my leaflets!

Now I am one tired puppy who just wants to lay her head down on the pillow and dream of my PBase sisters and brothers who are here with me in this work for peace. Tomorrow is another day and I want to be nice and rested before I take my message up to Capitol Hill, 'cause that's where I'm off to in the morning. See you out on the streets...

I've added 19 more photos to my Iranian Peace Vigil photo gallery. CLICK HERE to see them.