So, what is the price of gas this week? I admit to looking around a bit on the day I’m in the city and the tank is running low.
Like many folks, I try to get the best price available. I go for the bonus offered by some and pay for it with a credit card that gives me more bonuses.
While I was filling my tank one day, the guy across from me looked at the price we were paying and asked me if I knew how much they pay for gas in Saudi Arabia.
“Eleven cents a litre!” he exclaimed.
I thought about this for a moment, then replied, “Yes, but would you want to live in Saudi Arabia?”
I certainly would not. And so, I am happy to pay the going rate for gas.
I wonder how many of us living in this great northern country ever stop to think how lucky we are. Other than the mud-slinging that seems to prevail in our capital cities, Canada is a very peaceful country. And more than that, it is an incredibly beautiful country.
I sit by the window as I write. Snow falls gently though the branches of the white pine. A squirrel scampers about the branches snipping off the last of the cones.
She has a warm little place tucked in under the cabin no doubt. She’s lined it with leaves to serve as insulation to keep her warm through the winter. I’ve seen stashes of pine cones here and there. She’ll be warm and well fed this winter.
As will I.
Tucked into my little house by the lake, I am also kept warm by a blanket of insulation above, beside and below. My family and I will be warm and dry and well fed through the winter. How lucky we are.
Canadians have much to be thankful for: clean air, clean water, abundant food, peaceful cities and an abundance of wild nature at our doorstep. Our children have opportunities for excellent education; we have superb health care and a rich cultural environment.
We live our daily lives without fear.
So, I don’t complain about the cost. The privilege of living in this peaceful and beautiful country is well worth the price of gas. Being able to own a car and drive where and when I want is privilege enough.
Wouldn’t it be nice if peace broke out all over the world? If health, education and culture became priorities? If children everywhere could live without fear?
As we approach the gift-giving season of Christmas, take some time to be thankful for the gifts we have all year round. Let’s share our wealth with people around the world, with hopes that all may one day live in peace.
One such place to start is MSF; Médecins Sans Frontiéres (Doctors without Borders). MSF is currently working in Syria, Honduras, the Philippines, and dozens of other needy places in the world. Check them out msf.ca or call 1-800-982-7903.
Viki Mather has been commenting for Northern Life on the natural world and life in Greater Sudbury since 1984.
