Oh snap it's fall 🍠🍵!

Fall is settling here on the west coast of North America. It isn't cold yet but I think it will be in a couple weeks or so. Fall is the time to get ready for cold weather and the frost of winter that is biting.

If you haven't realized it fall is also when most of the holidays happen. By the time winter starts Halloween and Thanksgiving have gone and Christmas and New Years happen around the time winter starts. By the time January rolls around people are back to their usual routine and getting over the holidays. Winter is really just a time to take in the new year.

It gets cloudy, it gets cold and it is what ushers in a new year for us here.

But it's October now and I realize we have less than three months left in the year. A lot can happen in three months or not a lot. It's a good time to think about what's happened so far this year and what we hope for in the next year. We tend to wind down during this time and stay indoors more because of the cold.

For the fall I see a lot of orange, brown and pumpkins. I get that these things bring out the fall season but don't forget all the other stuff. There's brown, maroon, red, pink, yellow, white, black, blue and green. The skies are still blue and the rain doesn't arrive until later on in the season. I encourage people to look for other things that represent fall instead of what we're use to.

Start noticing all the things that happen during this season. Fall is known as the windy, cooler season where things prepare to hibernate for winter.  

In other news the cost of living in the SF bay area has gotten higher than ever. I remember when rent for a two-bedroom apartment was $800. Now it is over two thousand. I remember when a gallon of gas was under two dollars! Now it is six dollars per gallon. I really don't like the rising costs and want to remind people that expensive things don't make a place better or special.

I am really disappointed to learn about the new work requirement for SNAP. Everyone who has lost SNAP benefits due to the new government regulation has my deep sympathy. You deserve better. It is such a bad time to lose it on top of that with the holidays coming up. I wish the government would seriously reconsider this new requirement. 

Forcing people to work or volunteer when they don't want to doesn't make anyone happy. Are we in such a dire situation that people must work or volunteer in order to survive? That doesn't sound right. There are many reasons why a person may choose not to work. Maybe they've applied to many jobs and just haven't landed one or maybe they don't want to work another menial job they don't care about or they have a really hard time getting up in the morning. These things aren't classified as a disability and are seen as kind of poor excuses not to work but I'd rather have a person work in a job they find fulfilling. Otherwise they are forced to work any job just to make rent. 

It may take them a while to get there but it is worth it in the end. 

There is no reason a person shouldn't have a comfortable shelter and good, nutritious food to eat. Even if they can't work or don't want to or are going through a rough patch they can't get out of at the moment, they should not be denied these things. I thought this was what SNAP and similar government assistance programs are about. 

The earth is beautiful and it doesn't deny the things that grow and dwell on it access to anything it needs. We don't pay for the rain to come down and animals, plants and wildlife to grow. It happens through care and love and giving it what it needs. All the beautiful and wonderful things grow without much thought. They just have to soak up the goodness that this earth and life provides. Why are we then forced to pay for every little thing that we need?

Those who choose to work and work hard have their reward waiting for them. They do it for themselves and for the things they care about. They can enjoy many luxuries and materialistic things that people who choose not to work probably won't be able to. At the end of the day that is actually okay because that is the life they choose to live. 

I want to remind people that there are things people need and things people want. We should not be without the things we need unless we choose to be or there is a shortage for some reason. This fall lets warm up with a mug of something good and be reminded that things and people grow and mature through receiving the best care. It is not about how much money you have are how successful you are in a career. It is about how much you can get out of this life and the things you learn and receive from it.

An expensive price tag doesn't mean something is better. It just makes it harder to obtain and...expensive. Maybe you can have fun working for it but that is up to each person to decide. The best things in life are priceless and that hasn't changed.