October.

I have to say, autumn in Alberta is one of my favorite seasons. Ever. Of course not what fall was looking like a few weeks ago (rain, rain and more rain). But those crisp, clear fall days. Blue skys. Vibrantly colored leaves on the trees. Above-zero temperatures. Unfortunately, mixed in with this appreciation of autumn's beauty, is the realization that it won't last for long. Soon enough the leaves will be gone. The tree in front of our house, and subsequently the lawn, are living proof of this very thing. I swear that everytime I pull in the drive, there are less leaves.

Lately I've been getting out walking a lot more than I normally do. Our so-called summer (which was nothing like a summer in my books) was so rainy that I rarely got out walking. I so enjoy walking. And I'm actually not too picky about where I go. When we first moved to Alberta, Rob and I would go out walking almost every night after dinner. No matter what the weather. Of course, once Abbi came along, -30° walks didn't seem to be the most sensible thing. But even when I was super pregnant, we would be out walking (or waddling, in my case) in our neighborhood.

I love looking at houses, especially in the older neighborhoods, and doing mini-makeovers in my head. The two of us can look at a house and have it completely redesigned within minutes. I'm glad that we share an appreciation for making something better (at least better in our opinion). Someone, somewhere, thought painting the exterior of their house teal blue was a good idea, and doing the corresponding trim in maroon. Ugh...

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In other news, I have to say, some of the content of my course has really been hitting home for me. Each unit is focusing on a different thing. Things like mindfulness, empathy, resistance, oppression. I've been reading some incredible articles, that will hopefully not only impact my practice as a social worker, but also just as a person. The one thing that has truly rocked my world is realizing that my learning is centred. Or placed. Or that I am culturally located. It seems incredibly naive as I type it, but to realize that my little bubble of how the world works is just that, my own little bubble.

Especially amongst cultures. I find that fascinating. When I think of colonialism. Or missionary work. It kind of rocks my mind. This topic is harder for me to navigate having Christianity in there too. I think so often in North American/Western cultures, we divide culture and religion, whereas in many Eastern countries they are so tightly linked. Yet, we come in there with a our Western ideals and attempt to place them on a completely separate culture. If we look at the colonialism that took place with the Native cultures in North America, they essentially lost their culture. They didn't have to. But it wasn't valued, so they lost it. An "our way or the highway" mentality.

So then as I think about this, I wonder just how often I impose my own little bubble on others? How many times do I believe I'm right, just because its the way I see it? I remember a friend discussing Jehovah's Witnesses. He had a friend say that he admires what they do. Well, he went off the handle at his friend about how what they are doing is wrong and blah blah. Therefore, its not admirable. Yet, I absolutely disagree. I don't agree with their teaching, but that doesn't mean that their actions aren't admirable. They whole-heartedly believe in what they teach, and while I often question their methods, the fact that week after week, they are out, knocking on your door...is admirable! As convinced you are of your own truths, so are they.

So how do we reconcile this knowledge? Just as much as my own little white, middle-class, Western, Christianized bubble seems right to me, so does the bubble of the poverty stricken, starving, single Mother of 4 in Africa seem right to her. Do I have the right to impose my bubble on her? I think not. I think its not about imposition. Its about a dialogue. About discussion. About hearing someone else, and allowing them to teach you. Learning. What does that mean for you? What does that look like? Seriously, wow. This almost hurts my brain to think about the depth of this.

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In closing, life is still busy, as it will be. I'm off to a playdate this morning. The kids are watching morning cartoons. And can I just point out that I LOVE that my daughter shouts "Amoeba" at the TV when watching Dora. She means to say Arriba, but I'm not about to correct her. Now I think she's getting Gabe in on the Amoeba bandwagon...

This is a little glimpse into our life. Our calendar. In a fairly central location in our house. I am amazed at how "orderly" I'm getting as I get older. I truly do enjoy placing all of our little stickers on the days of our commitments at the beginning of each month. Somethnig about seeing it all at once really helps me. Or perhaps I'm just coming down with some OCD. Not to mention is a fairly cute calendar ;)

Here is the current month. Not too shabby.