As a Canadian, I feel our American neighbours always get a bad rap. The issue is we base their reputation based upon pockets of news outlets and the musings of their politicians.

They are also a country with a melting pot of over 350 million people as opposed to the more homogeneous countries in the world with a fraction of that population. That in itself is a wild dynamic to work within.

However, the Americans I know are lovely, wonderful, generous people who are always in the mood for good conversation. Even when travelling, the Americans I run into are always happy to converse… even if the topic constantly veers toward universal health care (yes, it has its flaws, but it’s fantastic and I would never want to give it away).

There are many things to celebrate the U.S. for and to hope for so we can move into a better future together.

I mean, c’mon, have a you had an In ‘N Out burger?

To my American friends, especially my dedicated readers from California, I wish you a Happy Independence Day.