Easing into Fall

September 13, 2026 – Best time of my day

Well… it’s that time… back to school… and back to FALL. I cannot believe that last night was the first night I had no fans on and the windows were closed. Where I live, it got down to 2 degrees Celsius… BRRRRRR. The weather is definitely changing and starting this year, we will not be changing our clocks. DAMN. It’s going to be dark too. That idea came up during one of the conversations during orientation for the teacher candidates. Holy moly… I never considered that. I switched my day of teaching with someone else, which already changes the momentum, in addition to the number of students who will be in the room. But, I never considered the time change. I took daylight for granted, and now I’m imagining that my classes will be held outside… IN THE DARK. Whoa… that spooks me out. I need to consider what I should do next in the upcoming weeks. Normally in September, the weather is still good. Having Monday classes, I felt that I had to move some activities, particularly the outdoor ones, to later in the semester. Hmm… this seems problematic. No worries… my cat making biscuits on me while I sit in my LazyBoy chair makes EVERYTHING better. Onwards and upwards… things will work out.

What I am learning is how to be very open to change… to keep moving… and to open a door to see what’s inside. Nothing just “happens to you” but rather you have to keep moving and listen to the messages you are receiving. I was just describing to a student the other day about Steve Jobs keynote address, I believe, that when you look ahead into the world and doing the the work that you do, it feels or seems uncertain, disorganized, or nothing like what you had imagined (these are my words)… but when you look back, it looks like a straight line. I hung onto those words (or at least the intent) for quite some time to give myself the permission to be OK with the messiness of life and that you cannot control what’s in front of you, but rather use what’s in front of you to navigate life. I used this thinking to be flexible, forgiving, and compassionate to myself and others. I also used this thinking to let go of what I think life should be and to welcome uncertainty. I’ll admit, that shift in thinking was not easy. That said, when you become more regulated (or co-regulated) and you nervous system is no longer in fight-or-flight, I can see that going with the flow has its benefits. Today, I feel I should be exactly right where I am.

Now, as I think and wonder about the straight line, was this the path that was meant to be taken and the messiness is the journey. Oddly, I’ve been seeing this phenomenon with my kid, my past, and with others. It seems so clear to me now, and before it felt so trivial. There are no failures or rejections, but rather challenges, obstacles, or messages that say… “take another path.” Let me tell you… I’ve taken different paths due to unforeseen circumstance that was not that great, but as I look back, I have no regrets and feel that this route I took was 1000 times better than the path I thought I should take. Sometimes it’s about readiness, and sometimes its about learning what you need to learn before proceeding. For me, it also included gratitude and not taking anything personally. I am the creator of what I see. I understand that now and WOW… I am loving life, and willing to take on some of those challenges… not to prove something to someone else, but rather to prove to me that I am able to do it. Most recently, I just finished reading a book that I held onto for 2.5 years for a book review. I re-read the first three chapters many times and could not get to the remaining five. This summer, I forced myself to get through Chapter 4, and voila, the rest of the book finished so easily and beautifully… and the book review is done. My sense of self-efficacy is getting better.

I also feel that it has a lot to do with my mindset… from growth to fixed mindset… maybe. I just feel more optimistic and hopeful… and as some of the students said during their final presentations last week… it feels JOYFUL. I can really see the joy in the work that I do, and honestly, it feels great!! It’s taken decades for me to get to this place of well-being, and I am so grateful to my students, colleagues, family, and friends who work and walk along beside me as we take on this journey together. I feel truly honoured.