Don't give up on Canada

Happy Canada Day

Me and my brother, Dan.

My memories of northern BC, where I was born in the little oil and gas town of Fort St. John, are few and faint. As such, I don’t feel as though I am “from the north,” though, to non-Canadians, we are all “from the north.”

I have more memories of Edmonton, Alberta, where I lived for several years while in elementary school. At the end of summers, the grass inside of the local outdoor hockey rink was nearly as tall as I was (or is that just a trick of my memory?). I’d scale the wall and hop inside. Lying down on my back, staring up through the tall yellow blades at the endless blue sky, I could imagine I was the only person in the universe, floating through space on a flat field of grass.

That’s a stark contrast to mountainous BC, where I’ve lived most of my life. The blue and grey mountains are always caging you in, and reminding you of how far away you are from the stars. Despite seeing the ocean (or Fraser River) and mountains every day, their beauty awes me, still.

There are so many other Canadian places I love: the Cariboo, where red foxes sneak around at twilight, looking for food to steal from barbecues and patios; desertous Kamloops, its barren hills punctuated by dark pines and the mild green of sagebrush; my grandparents’ remote BC cabin where I spent happy childhood summers entirely cut off from the outside world (with the exception of a local radio station that would send weekly messages to the persons living out in the bush).

It’s easy to forget about the things that typify growing up in Canada: I’ve played ice hockey, caught rainbow trout, canoed, boated, shot a rifle, rode dirt bikes through the woods, caught snakes, frogs, and salamanders, seen black bears and grizzlies up close (in addition to deers, coyotes, and even moose), and can build a campfire with ease.

Catching rainbow trout, which my grandma would fry in butter.

I’m so grateful for all of these experiences and for all of the natural beauty of this place. I am grateful for Canada.

There’s a lot going wrong in this country that needs fixing. In fact, it’s painful and overwhelming to think of all of these problems at once.

But today, I’d like to just remember the good parts, and wish you all a Happy Canada Day.

(Let’s get back to fixing things tomorrow.)

Amy