So it’s Canada Day again. It never gets old to see it come around each year and celebrate the Old Girl’s milestone.
Canada’s birthday is a great reason to have a , three-day weekend in the summer and take stock of how fortunate I am to live in such a country. I think of the many things which I take for granted that most people in the world only dream of:

Water. Water, water, everywhere and most of it is still fit to drink. We turn on taps – there it is. We flush – there it is. Get too hot and need a shower – there it is. We don’t have to walk miles and carry it back to our abodes in oppressive heat. We don’t need to walk anywhere. There it is. Fortunate.

Health care. Our system isn’t perfect but it works better than most and if you happen to scorch yourself on some firework (please refrain if possible) then you will eventually be seen in the emergency room – for free! Don’t forget the lavender for aftercare!

Four seasons. Some people would prefer to have just warm weather but I prefer the change of seasons. I have experienced climates where the seasons did not alter by more than a few degrees and realized how I actually look forward to the change. I guess it was a “don’t know how much you miss it till it’s gone” kind of moment.

Peace. I know there is crime that gets all the attention and we have troops battling it out in other countries but really – and I’m not sorry to say this – Canada is a darn peaceful place to live. Go live in another country for a while, been there, done that, I choose this land as my home. Another “don’t know how much you miss… moment.

Democracy. I may not agree with you but I agree you have a right to say it and to disagree. I don’t ever want to take this for granted or lose it. Depending on whether you feel your glass is half empty or half full, you’re already thinking this piece is inspiring, amusing or annoying. I think it’s great since you can always voice your opinion free of charge or persecution.
Space. We have a big, beautiful country. In Europe if you drive for four hours you’ve usually crossed at least one international border with heavy security, and detailed scrutiny of your possessions thrown in. Here you wouldn’t necessarily be out of the province. I think that every Canadian should cross this country on land at least once in their lifetime. Whether it’s car, motorcycle, train, I have done it several times and believe I am a better person for it. Besides, who knew you could actually travel this far without being subject to an x-ray of you anatomy or strip search?

Even if you can’t do the cross country sojourn, go to a new park, or an area of town you haven’t been before. Go to the library. It’s air conditioned and you can check out picture books on Canada, the rich history and see the places you can’t get to. It may give you that motivation to make it happen. Adventures can be big or small, around the corner or the great Niagara Falls, Canada has them all. There, I’m a poet and didn’t know it!
But enough of the cheesy clichés and droning on about how fantastic I think it is. You get the gist of how I feel, and I’m free and secure enough to not care what anyone else thinks. I’ll be chilling with friends, sailing on the lake, having a barbeque, and enjoying all the nature our wonderful country provides which of course includes a cold bevy or two. I started from very humble beginnings and have crafted a sweet life in this place of opportunity. Besides, I’d rather be outside and enjoying this country I love so much. Let me know some of the things that you appreciate about Canada on www.facebook.com/nascentnaturals.

We had some fun taking these Canada Day themed photos, vote on which one you prefer and that will be my profile picture for July if Facebook fixes the glitch on the business profile photos. On the topic of profile pictures, Nascent Naturals hasn’t become the Riddler (wrapped up in an enigma) with the question mark. We were planning on changing the profile picture and ran into a “known Facebook issue which they are working on.” Hopefully it gets fixed soon. In the meantime if you have a business Facebook page do NOT change your profile picture!

Happy Canada Day everyone.