Independence in my Veins

It's different out here. I guess it's different everywhere. Red necks, ignorant, spoiled. Those who think only of the oil and forget the impact that being the centre of energy in Canada has on the environment. Trucks. Country music. Stampede. Alberta gets a bad rap from the very west and from the east (or as they like to be called... central Canada... or centre of the universe), but that's ok with me. You only really get it I think, if you are an Albertan. By choice or by birth.

This post will be no rant on the places that don't get it. They likely never will, just as I will probably never truly understand why people love Vancouver the way the do or why many come to Toronto and never leave, it is a choice I don't think we even make consciously. It is in our bones and our hearts. No, this post is a love letter to my home. My people.

Having lived all over I have always been proud to be an Albertan. The cerulean vastness of sky is imprinted in my brain, the sound of thunder rolling across the prairies, the smell just before it's going to rain, the alpine glow that is incomparable. The nuances are what tie the people together. The black soil is under our skin, big skies are deep in our lungs and where prairie meets Rockies is where are hearts reside. And the people are different. Ranchers and explorers are our heritage. The weight in our bones as we drive down highway 1, or 3, or 22X remind us of where we come from. The land. The sky. The West.

So in light of the immense challenge that my home, that my people, have faced recently, and continue to face, I have never been so proud to know that this is where I come from. While outsiders look on with pity and uncertainty about how fast this little city can recover, Albertans have an unwavering faith, no it's more than that, it is a deep understanding that life is not always easy, but that we are made of the stuff that is so strong, works hard and has always had a keen sense of community. Summer drought ruins crops, cold snaps kill herds, mountains avalanche, rivers flood; this is life out west but Albertans have worked hard since the very beginning to make a place and name for themselves from nothing. There is something different in the hearts of people there.

So I am proud to be from the place where the brave rescue the helpless. Where strong hands instinctively know how to fix and save, to bring life in the face of hardship. Especially in light of the mayor of my current city I can't explain how grateful I am that Calgary has Nenshi. I have never forgotten the day I voted for him in the gym of my elementary school, and I likely never will. He gives me faith that not all politicians are untrustworthy. He helps me believe that true leadership still shines through the bodies of men in positions like his. He is a beacon to the rest of the country of what the true spirit of Alberta is.

So while my old neighbourhoods are slowly drying out, the true extent of the damage being revealed, I am updated by friends that people are just as people always are in Calgary, open doors, open hearts, ready to roll up their sleeves at a moments notice. Even here, at work, there is worry that Calgary will not be ready for Stampede. I found it a strange remark as knowing Calgarians, if there is a minute possibility that it can happen they will find a way. "Come hell or high water" is the poignant message being shared across the city.

At the end of the day it is often in the greatest challenge that we discover who we truly are. Calgarians have always known. They have just accepted that who they were was nothing extraordinary, just hardworking with a sense of unity, rarely have they given a damn about what anyone else sees them as. This has all changed, I think and hope. More of the country is getting a glimpse of the Calgary I know. And love.

My heart and best wishes are with everyone of you, yes those of you who are not at home as well. Seeing my city in devastation has been tearing at my heart strings but experiencing the Alberta spirit reminds me why I hold my head high when asked where I'm from I say 'Calgary' every time.

To donate to the Canadian Red Cross relief efforts click here.