Guest Post from Citrus Sunshine – Why I Love Canada

So, Andrea over at The Travels of A Wandering Mind agreed to fill my space over my vacation.  And I am super excited, because she is awesome at it!  So read what she thinks about Canada, and then head on over and check her out!

Why I Love Canada

1. Kim– How could you not love her! Although I have never met her in person, I feel like she is my friend. She is the first blog friend I met and I’m glad I did for several reasons. I will just list one though. She is a military wife. Of course we here in America have military personnel as well, but they all seem so far removed from my day life. Some days I even forget there are men and women sacrificing their significant parts of their lives for my freedom and safety. It is good to hear an insider what it’s like. It is an excellent reminder of how blessed I am to live where I do and the way I do.

2. Hockey– I do live in North Carolina, but I’m originally from Illinois. Hockey is “USA” big there. Not like in Canada, but it is popular by US standards. I love this fast paced sport for talented individuals. Some in the US say it is too confusing. I think they just need to pay attention. I love how whole-heartedly Canada gives itself to this sport. I have a t-shirt that says, Hockey is Canada on the front and Canada is Hockey on the back. It was a Team Canada shirt from an Olympics. This seems to be the best catchphrase. I am never upset to see Canada win international tournaments. You guys created the game and we should all be thankful.

3. Less stupidity– Canadians seem to have more common sense, more manners, and more intelligence. For instance, my son has a beautifully illustrated Puff the Magic Dragon book. I love reading/ singing it to him. If I said this to the average person in the US, I would get several giggles, a handful of comments about marijuana jokes, and a conspiracy theory or two. This really annoys me! I’m talking about a book I read to my son and most people here have the reaction of a 12 year old. Somehow I think Canadians wouldn’t react that way and I really like that.

4. Loyalty– Throughout the history of the US and Canada, I’m sure there are many examples of the loyalty Canadians have shown us. It often seems like Canada is the smarter friend. We rush in to something without really thinking it through. Canada knows this might not be the best decision, but they back us up anyway. Shortly after 9/11, I read a wonderful article by a Canadian commentator about the benefits of America. It was originally written/spoken in 1973 in response to the fallout of the Vietnam Conflict. At that moment, it was encouraging to read that someone out there still cared for us. In case you want to read the text of the article, search for “America the Good Neighbor by Gordon Sinclair.”

5. The Maple Leaf – I love the fact that you can add a maple leaf, preferably red, to anything and you instantly make it Canadian. It is a simple icon that can represent a whole country, a whole way of life. It is very unique and not something that is replicated anywhere else in the world. I don’t know of anything in the United States that represents it in one single icon. We have Red, White, and Blue, but so does France, Costa Rica, the UK, Australia, the Dominican Republic, Croatia, etc. Those colors don’t really mean anything specific. We just don’t have anything as cool as the Maple Leaf.

I’m sure there are many more things to love, but these are the few that came to me right away. What do you love about Canada? Or what do you love about the US?