Laura Stricker

I was watching fireworks on Canada Day, and was inspired to write. I really like those moments where you get hit with this feeling of needing to create or do something, and when your hand cannot keep up with your thoughts and gets cramped attempting to do so.
Anyways, because it has been awhile since I felt inspired like that, I’m going to share what I wrote, totally unedited and grammatically incorrect and repetitive as it may be.

Seeing the sky light up with fireworks, like a million tiny stars piercing the dark takes me back to my childhood growing up in Thornhill. I remember sitting in our backyard, surrounded by family and friends, watching my dad set off fireworks then run back quickly so as not to be hit by one. I remember sitting beside my mom on one of those hard plastic lawn chairs we used to have, wearing a sweater and shivering ever so slightly. I remember the smell of grass, the delicious smell of fire and wood filling my nostrils.
I remember playing with sparklers, making random patterns that burned gold into the night, long after I had moved onto tracing another random pattern. I remember burning my fingers after accidentally touching the wrong end of the sparkler. I remember crying as I was led back into the house and had my fingers splashed with cool water. I remember the almost immediate feeling of relief.

P.S. since the topic is random inspiration, last night around 1 a.m. I had an urge to bake peanut butter cookies because I saw a recipe for them on the peanut butter jar. They turned out really well and were so easy to make! Only three ingredients. I added chocolate chips to the second batch.

Being Canadian rocks because:
- We have the right to vote for whomever we choose
- Free healthcare!
- We can say what we want without fear of being jailed/tortured/killed for it
- Whenever I visit the States I hear from everyone how much they love Canadians
- We have access to fresh, clean water
- There are some astoundingly beautiful places to visit. I will never forget the time I went horseback riding in the Rocky Mountains.
- (Vegetarian) poutine. Enough said.
- Our (sometimes inexplicable) sense of loyalty to a certain hockey team
- The cat shelter on Parliament Hill
- Many of my favourite authors are Canadian
- A lot of movies and TV shows get filmed here. One of my favourite things to do is watch a movie/TV show that was filmed here, and then squeal “I recognize that! I’ve been there!”
- Culture on every corner
- Public transportation (it may not be perfect, but it is there!) A recent visit to Texas made me appreciate the TTC tenfold.
- There are always tons of amazing concerts to go to.
Andddd, the number one reason being Canadian rocks (this ties in with some of the others)…..

DEMOCRACY

Happy Canada Day, everyone. What is it that makes you proud to be Canadian?