Have you recovered from the Olympics yet? I live smack in the middle of what was party central, Yaletown and I have to say as much fun as it was, I was exhausted by the end. 17 days is a long time to party for anyone.  Don’t get me wrong I loved it and I was one of those yelling every time Canada raced, won a medal or scored a goal. While most people got to go home to their quiet neighbourhoods and regroup, those of us that live in the neighbourhood got very little sleep. We heard the diehard fans celebrating till  3-4 am and then the street cleaners came through racing to clean it all up, before the sun rose. Here is a little thing I did discover, I have very tiny ear openings,  no matter what I did I could not find an ear plug that would stay in my ears. But it was well worth it!

Wow, Vancouver sure threw a Party!

There were so many positives to remember, a once in a lifetime event for most of us. The Canadian pride was abundant  and infectious. I honestly thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest during the opening ceremonies, amid the tears of pride tumbling down my face. The music, the athletes, the floor that evolved into an ocean full of Whales (that was so cool). What about KD Lang and those incredible pipes of hers, I forgot how strong her voice was. I loved it all except for the National Anthem. I for one think that our National Anthem should be sung exactly as it was written no matter who sings it. Mostly because I like to sing along  and if someone keeps changing it how can I follow.    It truly was a night to remember and a night to be proud to be a Canadian. Not that everyday shouldn’t be but sometimes we get so busy with our own lives that we forget how  lucky we are to be Canadian and  live in this beautiful city.  Sometimes we need to be reminded and the Olympics did just that. So thank you to Vanoc ,IOC , the Athletes and all the Volunteers and Workers that made it all possible. What a party, what a celebration and the whole world showed up to join in the festivities, how cool was that!  I guess I need to thank the whole world because we were all part of it, so thank you to everyone! Take a bow.

During the Olympics every time I walked down  the street I heard so many languages being spoken it was like being in the United Nations. But isn`t that what Canada is becoming a huge happy melting pot of nationalities all blending into one, at least it was during the Olympics. The smiling faces, the energy, the pride, the comradery. The openness of strangers, Vancouverites welcoming the World and the brotherly love was overwhelming. I believe that we need to remember how that felt, we need to keep that pride and that open-minded nature  and socializing with everyone.  I found myself in Safeway one day trying to help a group Russian Coaches pick out some healthy cereal  for their athletes (all I could understand was NO Sugar). It was quite a scene, me speaking no Russian and them no English, rather comical actually. There was a lot of silly sign language, which of course I don`t know either and neither did they, but we attempted to communicate that way. In the end they purchased some  slow cooking oatmeal and wheat bran and I got a pat on the back and a lot of nodding  for my efforts.  I should have had my neighbour with me, he speaks 32 languages, seriously!  I would love to see inside his head or at least have the capacity to learn as much as he has, but alas that is another story. Â

What about those events, how proud are we of all our athletes and what about those women?  Our CANADIAN WOMEN and MEN ROCK! 14 gold medals, 7 silver and 5 bronze for 26 medals in total, the most ever. WOOOHOOO!!!!!! Our Women’s Hockey team kicked butt of course, was there any doubt.  As For the Men’s Hockey team, how many of us were on the edge of our seats when the USA scored a  goal at  the last 24 seconds. I thought my heart was going to stop. I just starred at the screen like it was a bad dream. That didn`t really happen, did it! But our young buck Sydney Crosby managed to save us in overtime.  With that goal the whole city probably all of Canada responded with a giant cheer. Within a few minutes everyone exploded out of the restaurants, bars and homes onto the streets of Vancouver. I got drawn into the parade of revelers with a new friend and we found ourselves funneling down Granville street and then looping back to Yaletown all the while high fiving everyone, including the police that were everywhere just making sure that the celebrations and revelers were safe and secure. A great time was had by all. The Canadian pride and joy was incredible, if we could just bottle that!

On the monday after the closing ceremonies, I walked down the half empty streets and basked in the sunshine, breathing a sigh of relief. I must admit that I actually thought, selfishly, it was nice to have my city back. Vancouver sure threw a great party, but like all parties, it is great when they come and fun during the event, but peaceful when they leave. On behalf of all of Vancouver I would like to welcome all our visitors back again, just not all at the same time please. Hopefully they all had a great time, I did hear some wonderful things about us Canadians,  we were all so welcoming, helpful, friendly and so very polite.  To those that did not feel that way I am so terribly sorry!   Now we are onto the Para-Olympics, talk about challenging events.

So how do we keep all those wonderful feelings, that Canadian pride, that open-minded welcoming nature and all that energy, it  is inside all of us. We need to think back on those days and treasure those feelings and focus on the positives, because there are positives in every day for every one of us.  If you focus on the negative you can always find something, but it will only make you unhappy. Remember if you focus on the positive, you will find it! The positives will help us struggle through the rest and keep us happier.  I have a great plaque that hangs over my desk and  it says.

IF YOU LOVE THE LIFE YOU LIVE…YOU WILL LIVE A LIFE OF LOVE! and it is so true.

Go out and make today the best that you can, make sure and pay it forward!  Here`s to focusing on the positive, it starts in every one of us! Start with smiling at a stranger and see what happens.

Best of luck to all our Para-Olympians,  they  truly understand the power of positive thinking!!!!!!!! GO Canada GO!

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