eh?

Big sky, unassuming flowers.

If you ever hear someone asking if it's alright to fly their national flag because they don't want to appear too showy, you can safely assume you're talking to a Canadian. Though we boast about being able to make love in a canoe, no one in this country has ever had the nerve to try it and then talk about it. I did have a friend who could do a handstand in a canoe and assumed given he could successfully accomplish that feat, he would be a sex in the canoe contender. I wonder if he ever tried? If he has, there is only one other person (unless he has done this many times) in the whole world who would know. I hope she walks around with her little secret smiling and feeling very patriotic.

John Cleese who played an uptight British barrister in A Fish Called Wanda told the outrageously risk taking American thief played by Jamie Lee Curtis that the most embarrassing thing that could happen to a British man is to be caught with his pants down. So, of course when the scene in the movie finally occured, you felt such a deep blushing feeling for the guy. I thought of this scene this morning as I was wondering what the most embarrassing thing would be to happen to a Canuck? And I've come to the conclusion that it is more subtle than that. It has to do with being caught being too ostentatious. Yeah..........if you boast too much, if you brag about your accomplishments, if you flash a lot of jewelry or loudly announce that you've met with heaping success.......watch out. The nasty tsk tsking eye contact will undoubtedly meet you with judgement.

You can get away with wearing a plaid shirt anywhere in this country. But, if you wear plaid pants to go with it? Well...........that's just going too far. If you're going to successfully make love in a canoe.....don't be boasting about it over a case of beer. If you want to wave your flag, wait until the next Olympics when you can blend in with all the other crazy nationalists around the world.....or do it in your bedroom. Pants are optional.

Canadians.........we're proud of not boasting about our pride. How weird is that?

Actually, it's a little more complicated because we are still a country of people who are constantly gazing at our navels wondering who the frig we are.....a pastime as significant as watching Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights. Nothing seems to widen the great divide in this polar gap country than the ongoing discussion about what makes us Canadian.......which always seems to lead us to the border to the south of us and beyond. WE know what we arent. But, if some folks had their way, we would have a national inquiry headed up by some retired judge or politician whose mandate it would be to drive from coast to coast to coast discussing everything from beavers to birch bark, from fiddle music to innushuks from grain elevators to sky scrapers from Snowbirds to Mounties.

OMG!! As I'm writing this, on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp Radio 1 news, the first story is an overview of the Canada celebrations happening in our capital. Big celebrations are underway to mark the 140th birthday of this country, and do you know what the premise was of the story? It turns out that we are becoming more openly expressive of our patriotism.....according to the latest poll (i'm not making this up) 57% of us know a family member who owns a Canadian flag. Methinks 42% of them still have the flag folded up in cellophane tucked away on their shelf in their closet. How hilarious that this is polled!!!!

It is true that we are becoming more open with our national pride, and I do believe it's a good thing because my God we are blessed to be living here. It wasn't until I travelled abroad as a young adult that I even thought about my Canadianism. I just was. How this move to know what constitutes our sense of who we are began is most likely up for debate....we like panel discussions.......... it most likely began when Lester B. Pearson approved our flag ....it was helped by Expo '67 in Montreal when the theme song was an anthem about this country sung by little kid voices..........it was jump started by constitutional talks and the signing of the Charter of Rights which of course is still a porcupine quill stuck in the side of some. Prior to those significantly historical events, Canadians quietly went about their business playing the role of peace keepers, trying to help out with our loyalty.

yes, we have symbols............the loon, the mountie, the canoe, the beaver, the Canadian Shield, soap stone carvings, movies that no one wants to watch because they are so dour, comedians we export at a frenetic pace, pop song divas, ..........yes we have songs which stir our emotions (thankfully not sung by the pop song divas)........and we do have a pretty great looking distinctive flag. And for the most part Canadians agree on the symbols.....a consensus on what they mean will never be found, and that's alright. But, I think we need to grow up and get over our fear of being considered gregarious or ostentatious. I think that if one happens to be able to successfully make love in a canoe, one should get their own show on CBC in order to boast about it.

Happy Canada Day...........oooooooowhooooooo! Bring on the sparklers!!

ps.....just so you know? The canoe lovemaking thing? I'm not a kiss and tell kind of person.....sorry..........it's a little canuck quirk i have.