My friend told me that apparently this display had garnered some vehemently negative feedback on social media I wasnвЂ™t told the specifics, but knowing that people could be angry about this small acknowledgement was troubling enough. Our city, like many across Canada, decided to collect and display 215 pairs of shoes in front of city hall to memorialize the horrible discovery announced at the end of May. Thing I Learned: So, another friend of mine works for the city administration. IвЂ™d like it to be about 20% creepier, but there you are. Thing I Saw: Lori and I are working our way through WandaVision and we really like it. Even my daughterвЂ™s Dog Man comics reminded me in the past few days that you donвЂ™t have to be able to move the whole tree at once sometimes just one branch can make all the difference. One conversation with someone doesnвЂ™t have to change their entire worldview. And that itвЂ™s okay to have and express my own thoughts about things. But itвЂ™s scarrryyyyyДЄnyway, I often get in my own head about having to have the Right and Most Convincing answers for people I disagree with (see: posts about trying to вЂњscriptвЂќ difficult conversations) and this is just another good reminder from a friend that I can let that anxiety go. I mean, as a Christian, I donвЂ™t really suppose that Jesus called us to only hang out with the people we already agree with.

I was getting scared that any divergence on issues I care about would somehow вЂњpoisonвЂќ the relationship altogether. But IвЂ™ve been reflecting on what my friend said in the days since and realizing that IвЂ™d gotten to a place where I was getting afraid to learn anything about anybody. I know that for some issues and some neighbours, disagreement doesnвЂ™t just mean вЂњwe donвЂ™t see eye to eyeвЂќ but more like вЂњmy neighbour doesnвЂ™t think I should existвЂќ which is very different. People can have nutty views and still be decent people. He said that disagreeing with a neighbour doesnвЂ™t necessarily make them a bad neighbour. I expressed this to some friends that I play online games with on a roughly weekly basis, and one of them gave me a valuable reminder. How do we find common ground and work together to make the world better when it seems like we canвЂ™t even agree on whatвЂ™sвЂ¦real? The beginning of the week was rough, again I was exhausted and declared to Lori that I was вЂњtired of having opinions about things.вЂќ By which, I meant that I was really bummed out about the seemingly increasing polarization around discussion of likeвЂ¦every issue currently facing our community? And world? I know this isnвЂ™t a new drum to be banging on, but it really got to me. So, how was the week for you? Mine flew right by.

Hi diddly ho neighborino