It's not a hard word to say.
"Hello."
It's just a couple of syllables.
An even simpler greeting is "Hi."
But when you're in a new place, a new province, or even a new country, that simple greeting, when paired with a smile, can mean a whole lot.
Last week, I got to talk to a couple of women who moved to this country just a handful of years ago. They came from far across the globe, and said the worst thing about when they moved here was when people would stare at them, suspecting they were new to the community, but they would not say hello.
It's not hard a hard word to say, as I explained above.
So why don't we say it more? Especially to new people in our communities?
We don't have to have known the person we're saying it to from birth, though some may think that has to be the case. Saying hello is a very simple thing we can do to make recent immigrants feel more at home here. And I think we want to make them feel at home. We do need more people here, after all, and I think it's fantastic that more people from around the world are moving here, and getting to experience this great place that some of us have been lucky enough to call home from birth.
I know some recent immigrants have likely run up against an unwelcoming attitude or two in some places. People who think they have more of a right to call Saskatchewan home than any newcomers do exist, believe it or not. But I think that attitude is downright crazy.
Over half the population of this province is descended from people who moved here from some other part of the world. In my case, my ancestors came here from Iceland, England and Scotland, seeking a chance to own their own land, to live a better life than the ones they left overseas.
I'm happy they did. I wouldn't exist if they hadn't.
But just because I was born here and my parents were born here doesn't mean I'm any better, or belong here more than someone who was born elsewhere, and who now calls Canada home. Canada was built on immigrants. New citizen or old, we're all Canadian. And in the winter, when it's 40 below, we're all stuck here, just trying to survive.
I think that more than equalizes us.
I find it flattering, actually, that so many now want to live in this province. And so should we all. Our climate, after all, isn't an easy one to live with. People don't dream of retiring here to lay on the beach, unless they buy a cabin at the lake and only come here in the summer. That people are coming here, and staying here despite our manic-depressive climate, is something we should all be pretty darn happy about. It shows that we've built something here that's attractive, not just to us who have family ties to this place, but to others from around the globe.
It shows that we're the "it" place to be, for many people, because of the opportunities offered here. And, I think, because while the winters may be cold, the people can be very warm.
We just have to show it a bit more, I think.
So next time you see someone who looks new to your community on the street, grin, and say hi. Ask where they're from, if you have time to chat. Introduce yourself.
And if all you have time to say is a simple, "Hello!" then you should say it. It may just convince someone that this is the best place in the world to live.
Because it is, clearly. We're all here, after all.
