My country's birthday

Looking good for 142
London, ON, October 2008 [Click to embiggen]

A Canada Day Challenge for my readers: I'm chatting about Canada on national television tonight. I need your help mulling over talking points. Details in the "Your Turn" below.

July 1st is always a happy day around here as we celebrate Canada Day. In our typically Canadian fashion, we don't go over the top in marking the day. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves, and instead would rather enjoy the day surrounded by the folks who matter most. Why? Because our country isn't the super hot, uber popular homecoming queen type who all the jocks want to date. It's more like the reserved, subtly pretty nerdish girl who most everyone ignores until the teacher assigns a pop quiz for the next day and they need her notes.

A stretch, I know, but it illustrates an interesting point: everyone seems to love this country. Every time I'm in the U.S. or speaking with Americans, I often find myself on the receiving end of unprompted gushings of admiration for our nation and the unassuming folks who live here. They love our friendliness, our beer, our music (less Britney, more Jann Arden) and our overall vibe.

So do we. And although we don't always take the time to celebrate our Canadian roots, today's as good a day as any to give it a shot. Wherever you're from, I hope you take a moment today to reflect on what makes your own life such a blessing.

Your turn: I need your help. I'm appearing on a rather fun-filled segment on CTV News Channel tonight (Updated time: 8:15 p.m. EDT, then repeated overnight every half hour - if you're in hoserland, that is) with author and financial planner Theo Caldwell and SportsBusinessNews.com publisher Howard Bloom. We'll be discussing what Canada means to us, how we feel about our country, what we love about it, what we'd change, etc. If you're Canadian - heck, even if you're not! - what comes to mind when you think about this great, maple leaf-wrapped nation? I'd love to hear your thoughts...