Thanks, Max

I didn’t want to watch the news last night. Really – I’m so tired of constant reporting on the idiots (sorry – I can’t come up with a better word) who are inflicting noise and nonsense all over Ottawa, keeping people awake at night, not knowing what they are asking for, and generally complaining about government for any number of reasons. I get it – I really do.

I’m frustrated with Covid-19, too. Really frustrated. I just got back from a vacation and in order to go I had to have a test at my local airport the day before I left, and then two days before coming back had to fork out over $200 (American no less) for a Covid test to come back to Canada. I’m tired of restrictions in restaurants and gyms and schools. I want to go back to life as “normal.”

We all do. I get it.

But I’m really tired of the people who went to Ottawa to complain to the federal government about it. First, the vast majority of the “regulations” they want to complain about were put in place by provincial governments, so going to Ottawa didn’t make much point. Second, the complaints are really about the virus, and all any government has been trying to do is hep us get past it. They don’t always get it right, but they’re trying, and they deserve our appreciation for that.

So I didn’t want to watch the news. But then…

In the midst of all the other coverage, there was the story of Canadian Max Parrot winning gold in slope style snowboarding. As a serious Olympics fan that’s pretty impressive and exciting. It was cool that another Canadian, Mark McMorris won bronze in the same event.

What really put it over the top, however, was that Max Parrot had Hodgkins lymphona – a type of cancer – and only finished chemotherapy in the middle of last year. He overcame an amazing hurdle, and went on not only to compete in the Olympics, which he thought would have been victory enough, but actually won gold.

It helped me put things in perspective. When life sucks – to quote the Prime Minister – it’s wonderful to be reminded that there are ways we can celebrate, and help others to celebrate.

Thanks, Max.