An Incomplete and Highly Personal Litany of Why I Love Being Canadian

...for no reason in particular *ahem* at this exact moment in time

"I love this country. I love my idea of this country." — Gord Downie

Measuring distance in time / Calling strangers "buddy" or "bud" / Mr. Dress-Up and The Friendly Giant / that squeak of the snow under your boots when it's properly cold / House Hippos / give me bears and wolves and moose over spiders and snakes, thanks / MuchMusic / the morning shows on CBC Radio / being able to see right to the bottom of even the deepest lake / Hockey Night in Canada / the absolute blanketing silence of snow falling at night / long days of summer / camping / national and provincial parks / Minister and politician Tommy Douglas bringing universal healthcare to us in the 1960s precisely because of his faith convictions / being able to be in total wilderness in less than twenty minutes from most places / The 1972 Summit Series / the word "eh?" remains the most efficient way of turning a statement into a conversation / that little wave you give your neighbours when you're out shovelling at the same early morning hour / The Charter of Rights and Freedoms / Eaton's catalogues and Sears Wish Books in the 70s and 80s / bright yellow fields of canola under blue skies in Saskatchewan / I am not afraid to send my children to school / The Golden Goal / rocky shores at the lake / the barista at Tim Hortons happily teaching new Canadians exactly how to roll up the rim tonight

Vancouver Island's rain forests and that damp smell to the ground / the parliamentary system of government / the call of a loon on a lake / white rabbits dashing across the snow in the winter / coyotes calling even in city parks / punching above our weight when called up to fight for peace /  slow dancing in a school gym to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald that one time / all the truth tellers in The Truth and Reconciliation Commission / Sam the Record Man / the volunteers at small town hockey arenas / licking potash rocks in elementary school / the old war memorial or cenotaph in even the smallest of towns / watching the tide at the Bay of Fundy / Heritage Moments commercials / Hayley Wickenheiser / our regional accents / The Tragically Hip's final concert and the way Gord gently kissed his bandmates and friends goodbye /  marriage equality / being proud of the flag on my backpack / Schitt's Creek / the blue of an Alberta sky in September / Blue Rodeo / the colours of the leaves in the autumn

Photo by Igor Kyryliuk & Tetiana Kravchenko on Unsplash

peacekeepers / SCTV and generations of hilarity / multiculturalism rather than a melting pot / being able to swear proficiently in two languages / The Group of Seven and Emily Carr's paintings / fully understanding why the Canada goose is the actual apex predator / The Battle of Vimy Ridge / saying "sorry" easily and without malice / the invention of insulin - and Drs. Banting and Best's sale of that patent to a university for just $1 so the drug could be readily available to all  / Big Sky Country / double-doubles and a doughnut / trying to be a good, reliable friend to the world / room to breathe / cribbage and crokinole / the snowy owl / that "u" in the middle of our words / the right to "peace, order, and good government" / the undercurrent belief of collective good

the smell of a bonfire at night in the mountains / a woman's right to choose / friends from diverse backgrounds and cultures and social locations /  Anne of Green Gables / Joni Mitchell songs / understatements as a national subtext / seeing the Northern Lights / poutine / staying up late to watch The Kids in the Hall / The Terry Fox Marathon of Hope run is still going in schools / Gander, Newfoundland thoroughly looking after all the folks stranded on the rock after 9-11 / having access to quiet, just absolute quiet / reasonable taxes / I have had four babies and never once received an invoice or a bill / easy and friendly chats with total strangers everywhere I go / the mall before NAFTA with stores like Bata and Cotton Ginny / Astronaut Chris Hadfield singing "Space Oddity" in actual space / a nation of small towns / Moose Jaw / cold lake water / the story of Louis Riel / the feeling we all get when the first snow of the winter arrives

 apples and peaches from the Okanagan / back alley hockey / the pure is-that-really-real? blue of the lakes in the Rockies / CanCon requirements / feeling safe / a park system protecting approximately 343,377 square kilometres of land / our reputation in the world / knowing how to throw a punch and pull a hockey sweater over the head from childhood / Roots hoodies / old fashioned agricultural shows and music festivals / wheat / fresh water / fresh air / humility as a national virtue / butter tarts and Nanaimo bars / wild roses / pow-wows / public art / steak houses / knowing how to kiss in a canoe without capsizing / Gordon Lightfoot / the default of politeness / long road trips 

hockey, God, I love hockey / the cathedrals of pine trees / bunny-hugs / the green slime of "You Can't Do That On Television" / "no, yeah, no" / never getting a snow day / line dancing in gym class / curling / Molly's Reach / always working and fighting towards mutuality and inclusion / Hawkins Cheezies / Foster Hewitt's voice saying, "Hello, Canada, and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland." / Indigenous elders in my children's schools teaching and storytelling to a new generation / making sure your Halloween costume can fit over top of your snowsuit / the time Robert Munsch visited the school to read his books aloud to all the kids in assembly and we laughed so hard, we put heads in our laps / a nation of relentless bright siders / talking about the weather / the alley where Rick Mercer used to film his rants / Orange Shirt Day / Kraft Dinner / the outdoor rink in the neighbourhood / pronouncing Z as zed / being open to criticism / knowing that the best jokes are always at your own expense / Viola Desmond / holding the door open at the bank for a total stranger still getting out of their car in the parking lot / mostly feeling pretty good about where my taxes go

tobogganing / the pile of Blundstones at the front door for any gathering / "I'm just going to sneak right past ya there, bud." / storytellers / the wise, industrious, and noble beaver / k.d. lang's album "hymns of the 49th parallel" / the myth of the cottage / sharpening your Laurentian pencil crayons / bannock / having very strong feelings about Joey and Caitlin from Degrassi / it isn't perfect and most of us are trying to be honest about that / Canadian culture is as diverse as we are, always evolving / it's ours, ours, ours.

“Armed with will and determination, and grace, too,”¹

S.

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P.S. This list is not meant to gloss over real existing complexities, sins, and challenges here. It is simply a howl against an existential threat to our sovereignty.

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1. One more Hip lyric, sorry.