Happy Canada Day

As Canadians celebrate the 145th official year of the country's existence, this wee Canadian sits at her computer reflecting on what it all means. What is it to be Canadian? Do we still wear our reputations as polite peace-makers with pride? Or is it time to add a little swagger to our step? Or perhaps that's all too serious and I should just sit back and enjoy the plethora of fireworks displays from my balcony.

When I'm out there, my eyes move from west to south to north as fast as balls at a tennis match. My mom's out of town for this year's festivities and it feels a little weird to watch them without her. Last year, we sat on the balcony, the two of us- I, binoculars in hand and she, poking me, 'Look this way! There! All over!' Tonight, I'm out there by myself and it just doesn't feel the same. The colourful explosions are nice as ever, but what is it when you don't have someone to share it with? We would sit on the bench together, sharing stories we'd already told more than a couple of times but politely listening anyway. I can't even remember what we talked about last year other than it was most likely the usual minuscule matters of life.

Speaking of the small stuff in life, I'm becoming more and more enamoured with my job, mostly because of the people I work with. For the first time, I'm surrounded by people like me. They're not necessarily carbon copies of my personality, but they're mostly oddballs with their own quirks and eccentricities who've come together to form a most endearing melting pot. Everywhere I turn, there are people who, for various reasons, were never prototypically 'cool': people like me. I can joke about needing a pocket protector for a leaky pen and it's taken in half-seriousness; I can also eat my lunch outside, teasing and being teased by coworkers.

I suppose what I'm trying to say in more words than needed is this is a place where I feel I can be myself, and be accepted as such. Everybody has their own distinct personality, as nerdy or different as it is, and it all has its own place. Nobody is ostracized for being themselves; rather, quite the opposite is true. This is a place where people are genuinely nice, friendly and eclectic. I feel like I've stumbled onto a little goldmine here and, no matter how tough or heavy my thoughts have been, I always end my shifts in a better mood than when I started them. Even more, I feel like people actually care about everyone as people. Questions aren't asked in a perfunctory way, but as though the asker really cares.

Golly, but I really like the place.