That little blonde girl we used to see running and jumping around, blowing away all her competition at the local track and field meets, will be competing at the London Olympic Summer Games this summer.
How cool is that?
Humboldt's own Brianne Theisen is going to the Olympics.
Her family is, I'm sure, over the moon and bursting with pride in their track star.
And as a community, we sure are, too.
We're proud to have Brianne representing our community, our province, and our country in London.
We have a right to be. Our athletes, our people, are pretty darn awesome in this country.
That's something I think we have to brag about a little more.
We don't want to be arrogant, like some of the countries out there. But I think we need to acknowledge that this country that we've built is probably the best one around.
As Canadians, we are a very modest people.
In Europe, or at least the parts of it I've visited, people are proud of what they've accomplished, and of their country. They point their achievements out, for visitors to see and acknowledge, comfortable with their successes.
Canadians, I theorize, have something like a younger sibling syndrome. We're kind of proud of what we've done, but don't really want to draw attention to ourselves for it, because we're not quite sure if what we've done measures up to our brothers', sisters' and parents' accomplishments.
I think it's time for us to grow up. We're 145 now, after all. It's time to mature.
We do have a lot to be proud of, and not just our hockey players (although they are pretty awesome).
First of all, we're huge. We're like the little brother that just kept growing. Most nations in Europe cannot fathom being as big as one of our provinces is, nevermind the entire country. It would be like all of Europe being one country, trying to find a single identity.
It's pretty cool that we've done so.
And it's pretty cool that we haven't tried to assimilate those who have moved here into one culture. Instead, the cultures of all the immigrants have had a part in making up the Canadian cultural identity, from the food we eat to the words we say.
We should be proud of our government, of how our communities are run. We should be proud of our ambition and innovation in many sectors; of our natural resources, and most importantly, of the people who live here.
Canadians are pretty great. People around the world acknowledge that not only are we modest and polite, but that we have a wicked sense of humour, and an adventurous spirit. We're bright, and easy on the eyes, too.
We have a lot to be proud of.
Remember that when you see Brianne proudly wearing the Maple Leaf at the Olympics this summer.
And brag about her a little.
It's okay, really.
