#59-Canada

Today is one of my favourite days of the year. The day when the country is awash with red and white, when fireworks will dominate the night sky and when the Blue Jays wear those weird, but patriotic red and blue jerseys for their game.

Yes, today is Canada day. The day when we can celebrate all that makes this country great, like the fact that we have our own bacon, our national animal, the beaver, can pretty much take down a whole forest (can a bear, an eagle or a lion do that? I think not) and that we eat so much fruit that we invented basketball just to get rid of the tons of leftover peach baskets that were crowding our homes.

No, Canada isn't perfect. We have our flaws and I find myself frustrated with the nation's politicians or troubled by the mistakes in our past, but what makes this country awesome is that I can sit here and say that I feel this way. Hockey is a spectacular and beautiful sport (and last time I checked we were number 1 in it) and Tim Horton's will always have a special spot in my heart, but the ability to exercise my rights of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to rant and moan about politicians on a bad day without threats or harm coming to me is one of the best things about the country I am proud to call home.

So I am grateful for Canada. I am grateful for the people that have made this country great. I am grateful for the beauty of the land and of the beauty of the people who inhabit it. I am grateful for the people who came before me, who fought and sacrificed so that I can stand in line and vote, so that I can write how I love Canada and so people can disagree with me about the greatness of this fair land. So on this day I wish that everyone's afternoon is sunny, their beer is cold, their health is good and their Canada day an amazing one.

#58- The Longest Day of the Year

I know this is the first day of summer, but to be honest it has felt like summer for at least a couple weeks if not a month, especially when I'm down in the sand traps burning up for my job at a golf course. It's like a beach without the water.

But what is special about today, what is so unique and amazing is that today is the longest day of the year. 

Yes, this is the day when the sun stays up and parties the hardest, allowing us to bask in its rays, its warmth, its beauty and its life for more time than any other day of the year.

Today is the day I can sit outside on my porch and sip on a nice cold drink without having to fold up and go inside early. Today is the day when I can use one of my corny, but reliable jokes; oh man, this is going to be one long day!

So I am grateful for the longest day of the year. I am grateful for the sun shining, the warm weather and being able to enjoy these wonders of nature long into the night, or rather day. And I am grateful that in six or seven months when I'm surrounded my snow and heading home at 4:30 in the dark, that I can remember this day and make a little sun shine out with the warm memories.

#57- Protective Glasses

Thwack!

That is the sweet sound of protective eye glasses keeping a piece of bark from destroying my left eye. Trust me I would know. That very thing happened to me a few days ago as the weed whacker I was using flung a piece of stray bark up at me, aiming for my eye with its devious bark mind.

But I still have my sight in both eyes and that is thanks to the protective glasses my work provided me with. And this particular pair of glasses act as sunglasses as well, so I can be shielded from the sun, be protected and look cool and mysterious all the same time.

What is there not to love in that equation?

It's also good to know that employers care about the safety of their employees, or at least about their eye sight. Maybe their only concerned about me being able to see well enough to get the job done, but that works for me, and besides I think my boss generally cares about my well being.

So I am grateful for protective glasses. I am grateful for the multiple layers of practicality and fashion appeal they have (although what do I know about the latest in eye gear). I am grateful they save me from injury and allow me to look around at all the wonders this world has for at least another day. I am grateful for the employers who care enough about safety to provide people with the right stuff for the job. And I am grateful that the glasses held off the bark and its bite.  

#56- Sunrises

I've seen many a sunrise in my life, even a couple from a plane window, but two moments come to mind when I think about the sun coming up in the morning.

Kenya is a country full of stunning natural beauty, but one of the best sights on my trip to Kenya was the sun rising over the community of Salabwek on our last day there. A couple of us had gone out early to get one last look at the school site that had been our workplace for two weeks and the sun was ready to greet us. The sun made everything the most awesome shade of reddish-orange I've ever seen and gave me a sense of hope and happiness for the trip, the project and the great times I had had.

It's nearly three years later, and again, the sunrise has given me a little glimmer of hope. As I have said, I am currently working the over night shift at work, which can get tiring and more than a little discouraging. The first night I was working, I was taking out the garbage (maybe I should start taking the garbage out more) and the sun was beginning to rise. It gave me a little hope. I had survived my first night, and I had been rewarded with an amazing view.

So I am grateful for the sunrise. I am grateful for this phenomenon that gives such beauty to the world and such hope to me. I am grateful that such a sight happens to signal of a new beginning to every day. My dad has a saying I've always remembered; No matter what happens, in the morning the sun will rise and God will still love you.   

#55- Geese by the Highway

I've been working at a local Staples, pulling the overnight shift and helping with renovations to the store, which isn't always the most interesting work as you may have guessed. Ink cartridges and multi-coloured Post-its can only captivate a guy for so long. 

One day (morning? night?) I was throwing out the garbage into the dumpster behind the store when I noticed a Canadian goose on the grass a few feet away. It was staring through the fence at the cars passing by on the highway at 5:30 a.m. and stayed that way for a good ten minutes before walking off. 

This was the most amusing part of my day, which may tell you something about the excitement factor of my job. It was kind of comical to see a goose taking in the cars rushing by as if it was wondering what those big, noisy metal things were and how they were going so fast. Or maybe it was wondering what had happened to its favourite patch of grass, it having been taken over by a huge strip of cement.

It was like a distinguished researcher studying the curiosities of humans instead of the other way around and it was pretty funny and thought-provoking to see the tables turned for once.   

So I am grateful for geese by the highway. I am grateful that this great bird was there that day to put even the slightest cheer in me. I am grateful that a sight so simple, but so out of the ordinary, can lead to so many different thoughts and ideas as this picture of a goose looking out onto the highway did. And who knows, maybe this one goose will decide to take a car down south this winter, all because of its experience behind a Staples.

#54- Goodwill

I've seen it done many times before on TV shows, but I never really believed it would happen to me. 

Last week, my dad took a few boxes of clothing to Goodwill to give away and amongst those boxes was about half of my clothes. Somehow, when my mom had been storing them for the summer until I went back to school, they had been mixed up with the give away pile and shipped out. I didn't notice until a week later and it was too late to retrieve any of my clothes.

Giving away half my clothes is no big deal really. I have more than enough shirts and pants and everything, but a lot of those clothes had memories attached to them. One sweater was a gift from my girlfriend; another was my journalism hoodie from first year. It's that sort of stuff that made me pretty sad about giving my clothes away. 

But what made me feel a lot better was the fact that my clothes went to Goodwill. My clothes had not been stolen, burned in a fire or anything like that, but instead had gone to someone else who was able to get some clothes because of my unfortunate circumstance and would, in turn, be able to create their own memories with the things I had attached such nostalgia to.  

So I am grateful for Goodwill. I am grateful that there was a silver lining to my negative experience and that Goodwill made that possible. I am grateful for the people who run Goodwill and the opportunity for people to give their clothes away rather than let them hang in their closets unused. And I am grateful that my memories will not be lost with my clothes, but will instead multiply with the people who now own them.

#53- Band Aids

Last night was my first night at a new job. Or was today technically my first day? I don't know because my brain is all jumbled up, and that's what working the night shift will do to you.

This morning, I am especially loopy because I lost some blood during my shift. I guess I'm exaggerating a little, but I did get a little cut, but it wouldn't stop bleeding. That's where the Band Aid comes in.

I patched myself up and I continued working. The Band Aid didn't just stop me from bleeding, but it also kept the dust and dirt and grime away from my cut until it was time to clock out. It's really quite amazing how useful and good for your body a tiny piece of gauze and plastic can be. 

And you know when you were little and you fell and skinned your knee, but it didn't really hurt until you saw the blood? And then after you howled and cried and sobbed? Well putting on a Band Aid back then was like watching the whole situation in reverse, because the Band Aid was like some magical healing patch, even though all it did was stop the bleeding.

So I am grateful for Band Aids. I am grateful that something so simple, so small, can have such an impact. I am grateful that Band Aids help heal you, let you get on with your day and comfort you when you're down. I am grateful for the people who make Band Aids and the people who buy them and are smart enough to have them near by.