Well, that was interesting. I was navigating around my WordPress site and I accidentally deleted my last post. Guess I’m not as computer savvy as I thought, and I didn’t think I was all that savvy in the first place.

In that post I thanked everyone who got vaccinated, wore a mask and generally did what was asked of them to contribute to the greater good during this pandemic. I thanked those who ignored the basically insane conspiracy theories and didn’t pass them on. I acknowledged we’ve all been inconvenienced by the pandemic but doing what was best for everyone was worth it. Of course, I said it all with skill and wit. It was articulate and sprinkled with just the perfect amount of humour and profanity. And of course, I can’t replicate it.

Sooo, I could use this new post to explain how the recent “peaceful” Truckers for Freedom convoys have nothing to with truckers or freedom, nor were they peaceful and once they parked in Ottawa, they were no longer a convoy. I could tell you how political climate in this country right now is making me so worried that I wake up with a headache and a sore jaw from clenching my teeth as I sleep. There are states in the US where we won’t visit because the people there are so right wing that they have stripped whole groups of their population of their rights and are actually burning books, and I’m worried there are provinces in Canada following their lead. I’m also worried that those Americans are actively involved in Canadian politics. I could tell you how afraid I am that this pandemic has brought out the worst in some of the people around us, and that the hateful elements of our society have gained traction because their voices have been amplified by social media sites and alt-right news outlets. People have been spewing hate almost without repercussion, and good people have been attacked by them simply for wearing masks or scrubs. I could use this post to tell you how horrified I am that there are people who believe everyone – the government, the media, the scientists, the health care workers – is lying to them, to us all, for some nefarious purpose that they can’t articulate or prove but that they know for certain is happening. I wonder if any of the people who believe in the world-wide conspiracies have ever tried to organize an extended family reunion? That’s damn near impossible, so there’s no way people in different countries of the world, who speak different languages and believe in different things could ever work together to pull off anything.

But I’m not going to do that.

Instead I’ll tell you some of the things I’m grateful for:

• all the scientists who developed the vaccine and the health care system officials and workers who developed, implemented and delivered policies and procedures to keep us safe and well
• everyone in our family who is eligible is fully vaccinated and most are boosted
• we live in a beautiful part of our country where we can kayak and fish and camp and hike and generally get outdoors and stay active
• we also live in an area where we can shop for more than just our basic needs
• I learned how to make bread during this time (but not sourdough because I killed my starter)
• we were able to get a shot of sun on vacation before the Omicron variant hit
• community theatre has found a way to exist in these pandemic times

I truly believe the majority of people in Canada believe in, support and follow all the best Canadian qualities of acceptance, kindness, and inclusion because we live in a great country with freedoms, rights, responsibilities and consequences.

And finally, instead I’ll tell you that even though I have concerns and worries, I also have hope. Here in Canada the percentage of vaccinated people and the mitigations put into place mean that the minor restrictions we’ve experienced might soon be loosened or removed. We might not need to show our vaccine passports to eat in a restaurant or watch a hockey game. We might not need to wear masks when we visit indoor public spaces. We might be able to travel internationally with just our vaccines, without testing before leaving and returning.

Scratch a Canadian and 90% of the time you’ll find someone who enjoys hockey (even if just during the playoffs, the Worlds and the Olympics), is proud of our healthcare system and social programs, believes everyone should have the same rights and should not be judged by their skin colour, their religion, their culture/country of origin, their sexual orientation or gender identity, follows the rules and knows we don’t need to fly a huge Canadian flag from the bed of a truck to show our patriotism. If you scratch the other 10% you might find someone who relates more to American-style beliefs and policies, but if you push them, they would have to say Canada is a pretty good place to live.

By the way, please don’t scratch anyone, it’s not nice.

And I am also hopeful that I won’t have to tell off some dipshit who tries to shame me when I decide to wear my mask a little longer (as is my right and doing so in no way endangers anyone) because beneath my optimism is a layer of anger that could be released on some unsuspecting fool. No one ever expects the grey-haired granny to lose it on them.