Unconditional Love

I fell in love at a young age. As a child, I had the privilege of enjoying long road trips through northern Ontario. Looking out the window at all that beauty; the mountains, the forests, the rivers and the lakes, I would often dream of all the adventures and wonderful experiences that await anyone willing to take that first step off the beaten path. The possibilities were endless. I fell in love with Canada.

Then came Terry Fox and his marathon of hope. Capturing our attention in such a great way. Giving us all a sense of national pride and unity.

The threat of Quebec sepetation aside, I was fortunate enough to grow up in an era where it was pretty awesome to be here. I loved Canada and it seemed the whole world loved Canadians.

Sadly, things are a little different now. The world doesn't think so highly of us anymore. We are falling far behind other developed countries when it comes to green initiatives and clean living.  Depression and anxiety in our youth is at an all time high. Look around and it's easy to understand why. Our once beautiful country now resembles a garbage dump. Nowhere is this more evident than in Canada's national parks. Sometimes I get really down running through these areas.

Maybe I'm the weirdo. Maybe I'm wrong to think that our parks most of all, are areas that we should take good care of. So that future generations can enjoy them with their children. So that for years to come, any young boy or girl looking out a car window might fall in love with their country too.

Running through Tera Nova Park Sunday and Monday was full of ups and downs. Both physically and emotionally. The steep hills and difficult winds threatened to break my stride. Worse however, the sights I saw threatened to break my spirit.
I was greatly disturbed by the amount of roadside litter. Clearly not everyone shares my desire to keep our country beautiful.

That's what this run across Canada and back has become all about. Seeing as much of the country as possible up close and personal. Slowly and in detail. Long term goals are to strive for mini victories. Like getting more garbage bins and recycling bins in all of our parks plus encouraging and educating people to use them. I've been in touch with a few people from Parks Canada and the wheels are hopefully in motion. Change comes slowly though and never without obstacles.

Thankfully I'm a patient man. And have many miles to go before I rest on this issue. Also the great people I've met in each and every province and shared my thoughts with give me faith. Faith that no matter how bad it looks out there, no matter what the odds, there are a few of us who care about our parks, our country and our planet. Today and everyday, those few need to try their best to encourage and inspire the rest.

Happy Earth Day Canada

I'm still in love with you despite the occasional heartbreak.