1. Ottawa: I live in a really beautiful city (and a really beautiful country). Yup, it’s just like the Canadian pavilion at Epcot describes.
2. My health. There it is. I’m truly old enough to say this. I’m inspired to be all the more grateful when my ancient hip cries out.
3. My friends. I have many of them, none of whom I pay. Unless you count my swim club, but that isn’t directly into their pockets.
4. My parents. They raised me right. Just like the disclaimer on a book jacket: Anything good, they deserve the credit. Any mistakes? I take the blame.
5. My sister. I’ve never known a day without her. I am a stronger person in this world because of my sister. Thanks to her I can also recite more of Nacho Libre than I care to admit. Ees for fun. Just like stretchy pants.
6. My nieces. Best kids in the world. Don’t contest it. That’s what they are to me, and that’s what matters for this particular list.
6. Water. No really. As I wash dishes, sometimes I am amazed that it continues to come out of the tap. And it’s clean. Also, I can kayak, canoe and swim around here, pretty much at will.
7. Freedom. I have a hard time assessing to what extent this is being chiselled away, but I think self-censorship is the biggest problem Canadians face. The government does not tell us what to think in the manner that people endured behind the Iron Curtain, for example.
8. “A thousand points of light.” Small glimmers of hope where it should be dead. As this poor translation of a Czech proverb says, “Hope dies the last!” (8a. Thank goodness for Czech proverbs, poorly translated.)
9. Faith. It’s a gift. It is my only consolation on bad days.
10. Life. Breathing. On any given day, and thus far, every day, I wake up. The basics matter.
I’m heading out for a couple of days off around this weekend, so blogging will be lighter than usual. Have a good one.
That’s me, not taking it for granted that no one is forcing me to wear my life jacket
by 
While “Nacho Libre” isn’t one of my favourite films, the quotes and references seemed to creep into our family vocabulary, especially regarding who knows a buttload of crap about the Gospels, and who has had the diarrhea since Easters. Pretty tasteless stuff, but strangely hilarious!
Those are two golden quotes, right there. 🙂
Great photo! Though…if I didn’t wear a life jacket my dad would probably say he didn’t “raise me right”. But that’s not generally an issue… (I watched a horrifying video on water safety while at Niagara Falls as a child. I think it may have brainwashed me to be very pro-life jacket.)
Enjoy your time off!
Yes, faith is a gift — St. Patrick said that he had been given the gift of boundless faith, which gave him the courage to walk unarmed among the fierce pagan Irish and, eventually, to evangelize them. What a shame that Ireland has turned its back upon the principles of respect for all life espoused by the patron saint of the Emerald Isle.
Rebecca, my Dad gets a little libertarian around seat belts and life jackets. Nonetheless, he’d probably tell me I should be wearing it. But there wouldn’t be much moral suasion behind it, because I’ve seen him a) drive without a seatbelt b) try to dismantle the beeping that tells you you are driving without your seatbelt–while driving. Good times. 🙂
My dad was the type of guy that would yell “PUT YOUR HELMET ON” at kids we knew if he saw them biking down our street without the required gear. And he didn’t yell much generally. Our friends still bring that up… He’s really serious about safety… 🙂
Andrea, this is your mother speaking: you should wear your lifejacket!!
Oh boy.Now I’m in trouble. 🙂