Carry It Forward - Properly

I was down in the United States for the last part of the Olympics (including the gold medal win for Canada in the hockey game - though I watched it with a good friend of mine that's lived down here for the last few years) and I'll tell you what - one of the biggest things that stuck out for me was the unbridled patriotism (yes, patriotism) that I've seen from all Canadians while I've been down here has been unbelievable. In the semi-final game, when Canada won the cheer that went up from the bar was so overwhelming that the guy next to me turned to his friend and said "When did I move to Canada?". The number of Canada jerseys, hoodies and shirts I've seen has been staggering - every few steps it seems that I see one of them popping up in front of me... and to be honest, I love it. Furthermore, as evidenced from things like Brian Martin's (the American Brian Martin) blog to Bill Plaschke's article in the LA Times, the rest of the world loved it to.

However, as we move forward - we must be sure to remember where we came from. As wonderful as this all has been, and as moving as its been being swept up in the fervor, Steve Yzerman said it best when he pointed out that we need to keep in mind what got us there first place, and not allow ourselves to get cocky or arrogant.

If we forget this, we cease to possess the special balance of qualities that allowed us as a country to become so much more than we were, and to demonstrate (in only a small fraction) how incredibly powerful we could be should we learn how to harness this energy and enthusiasm. We must also keep always in mind those traits that the world fell in love with: kindness, dignity, respect, courtesy... and most importantly, humility.

Thank you all for showing the world how incredible we can all be - now, go forth and represent.

Go Canada.

~Guy